Butterfly
Banessa is a rare variant of Vanessa, a name invented by the author Jonathan Swift for his poem Cadenus and Vanessa. While Vanessa is the name of a genus of butterflies, the 'B' spelling is an uncommon phonetic variation likely influenced by Spanish pronunciation or similar-sounding names like Bianca.
Less common today
Banessa isn't in the latest US Top 1000. It last peaked at #4,095 in 1998.
US births per 5-year period, 1990–present (SSA data).
