Nessa

Nessa has multiple distinct origins. In Irish tradition it derives from an older form Ness, borne by a legendary queen in Irish mythology who was the mother of the Ulster king Conchobar mac Nessa, and the name may relate to an Old Irish root connected to a word meaning rough or harsh. It also functions as a short form of Vanessa, the literary name invented by Jonathan Swift in the early eighteenth century, and of Agnes, which traces back through Latin and Greek to a Hebrew root meaning pure or chaste. Related forms include Ness, Vanessa, and Agnes.