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I much prefer Melissa, though Vanessa's ok.

Melissa - love the meaning

While both names sound a little dated, Melissa seems a little more enduring. Vanessa sounds like a stereotypical popular cheerleader name. Melissa strikes me as sweeter while Vanessa is sharper and more domineering.

I like Vanessa much better. It feels less dated to me.

Definitely Vanessa. Melissa always ends up coming out with a big "MUH-" in the beginning which is very unappealing to me. Plus, I like butterflies more than bees. :)

I prefer Vanessa, perhaps because I've never known a Vanessa who went by a nn. Melissa people always turn into Lissy or Millie, and Melissa seems more sentimental and sugary (honey-y?) than Vanessa. Which is also a very pretty butterfly!

Vanessa.

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I don't really like either because of the connotations they have for me but I do like the sound of Vanessa.

Was never a fan of Melissa. Vanessa is pretty.

Probably Melissa.Though the only Melissa I know is kind of loud, group-dominating person.Though not a bad person! But she comes to mind when I hear the name.
However, I do like it.

Vanessa

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I love Vanessa and the nn's Ness, Nessa, and Nessie. Vanessa and Veronica are old favorites of mine.

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Vanessa feels both studious and sexy. I always imagine a Vanessa being a strong independent woman. I usually imagine a woman with chestnut brown hair, olive skin, and rich brown eyes framed by long thick lashes. The personality of a Veronica is the same to me but I imagine her her cooler dark brown hair with fairer skin and blue eyes.

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For -ssa names I also love Larissa/ Larisa and Marissa, although I slightly prefer Marisa - which is my name. A lot of people who I introduce myself to mishear my name as Melissa. It is a nice name, Melissa is just very common in my age group in the US. Melissa feels dated as a very 1970's and 1980's name. Vanessa on the other hand has never been popular enough to become dated.

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I have always loved V names so I think it's pretty cool that my husband's surname - that I plan on sharing when I get around to it - starts with the letter V. The letter V has so much strength and life to it. It has always been one of my favorite letters.

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All this thinking about Vanessa is reminding me just how much I love it. I forgot that Nessie could be a nn for it. I was just thinking the other day how much I love nn's like Tess, Ness, and Jess.

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This message was edited 2/6/2017, 6:12 PM

I think they are both nice, although I'd be surprised to meet one who was under 25, they are very 80's/90's names here.

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Melissa is a more "legit" name, as it's existed for a very long time, but Vanessa has a more interesting history. So Vanessa on that front.

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I'm irrationally frightened of butterflies and love bees, so Melissa for that.

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I am not hugely fond of the nickname Mel, but love old fashioned nicknames like Ness. So Vanessa on the nickname front.

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I guess Vanessa takes it.

Melissa. It's beautiful.
Vanessa reminds me of the word vanity and leaves me cold.

I think they are both considered to be quite dated and bland. Melissa is very 60s and Vanessa a bit more 70s. They do have a similar sound and style. I think I prefer Melissa. It makes me thik of fairies which is nice and I like the meaning 'honey bee'. I don't care for Mel or Mellie but I think they are avoidable. Vanessa is a bit cheerleader-ish in my opinion. But they are both okay. Nothing special at all and dated but okay.

Vanessa, it is more spunky!

I like them both a lot. I think I'd slightly prefer Melissa; it's just a bit softer, while Vanessa has a bit of a hard, glittery vibe to it.