Given name
Nessie
“from the headland”·“one who is pure; chaste”
Nessie is a variant of Ness. One Scottish interpretation is “from the headland.” In English use, Nessie is a diminutive of Agnes. One Greek interpretation is “one who is pure; chaste.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Nessie is a variant of Ness. One Scottish interpretation is “from the headland.” In English use, Nessie is a diminutive of Agnes. One Greek interpretation is “one who is pure; chaste.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Nessie is a variant of Ness. An origin associated with Ness is Scottish. Nessie is an affectionate form of Nessa. An origin associated with Nessa is Hebrew. In English use, Nessie is a diminutive of Agnes. An origin associated with Agnes is Greek.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In English usage, Nessie is a diminutive of Agnes.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1902. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Nessie through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 97
- 0 boys · 97 girls
- Most popular year
- 1915
- 10 babies
- 2025
- 5
- #16,583 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 5 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 16,583 among girls’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for girls was 10 in 1915. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 185 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Nessie’s family of names
In English usage, Nessie is a diminutive of Agnes. Nessie has a related form in Nessa. Nessie is an affectionate form of Nessa.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Nessie has relatives in 3 languages.
4 related names in 3 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
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