Gracious; butterfly
A modern American invention, Shanessa likely combines the prefix 'Sha' with the name Vanessa. It draws its roots from the Hebrew name John, meaning 'God is gracious', and the Greek-derived Vanessa, which is associated with a genus of butterflies.
Less common today
Shanessa isn't in the latest US Top 1000. It last peaked at #8,283 in 1991.
US births per 5-year period, 1990–present (SSA data).
