English Names that Start With V

A short but sophisticated, long-neglected name you might want to consider.

Vanessa was invented by writer Jonathan Swift for a lover named Esther Vanhomrigh—he combined the first syllable of her last name with the initial syllable of her first. Swift used it in the poem Cadenus and Vanessa in 1713. A century later, Johan Christian Fabricius used Vanessa as the name of a genus of butterfly.

Once aristocratic British surname yet to be revived. Vince Vaughn recently gave his son the same double initials as his own when he named him Vernon Vaughn.

Velvet is a name that couldn't possibly be softer or more luxuriant. Many people have fond memories of it via the character of Velvet Brown, played by the young Elizabeth Taylor in National Velvet, an intrepid young woman willing to masquerade as a boy to race her horse in a dangerous steeplechase.

A winning, gold locket nickname name of the turn of the last century, though also a common nickname for Vincent.

No, not Ben (you'll say a million times), not Van -- Venn. John Venn was a British logician and philosopher famous for introducing the Venn diagram, which is used in several fields, including logic, statistics, and computer science.

Upper-class surname in England that might be prime for adoption here.

Best left at the Jersey Shore.

This scary word name was given to five baby boys in the US in 2013, entering the lexicon for the first time. Are the boys named Vice destined for a life of crime, or the creation of a media empire?

For Grandpa Vincent.

Much more upscale and modern for a girl than a boy.

Unusual and simple nature name worthy of further consideration.

Vibrant and vital noun name chosen by actress Shawnee Smith for her daughter.

He'll have to prove his humility.