Esther Vanhomrigh (c. 1690–1723) was the daughter of a Dutch merchant, who settled in Dublin and later moved to London. Swift was a friend and associate of her family; she was reputedly infatuated with him, and followed him to Ireland in 1714. He however has been described as "devoid of passion" and was not interested in affairs of the heart, much less marriage. Swift wrote the poem Cadenus and Vanessa in 1713, in Esther's honour; it includes the lines "Each girl, when pleased with what is taught / Will have the teacher in her thought." He didn't intend it for publication, but she made it clear at the time of her death that she wished it to be published. Her wish was granted three years later, in 1726.
The name Cadenus is an anagram of decanus, the Latin word for a deacon. It refers to Swift himself; he was famously the dean of Dublin's St. Patrick's Cathedral and was known (in the manner of the time) as Dean Swift.
Swift coined the name 'Vanessa' by combining the first syllable of his muse's surname and the poetic pet form of her first name.
As Wikipedia points out, the title of the poem thus contains both an anagram and a neologism.
There was more than one Esther in Swift's life, and he coined nicknames for both of them – both of which have entered into common usage. The other was Esther Johnson, whom he taught as an eight–year–old girl when he was in his early twenties (before he met Vanessa). Swift's nickname for this Esther was Stella; this (as you probably know) is the Latin word for a star, and the name Esther is itself, apparently, derived from the Persian term for a star.
The Luminarium website ("an Anthology of English Literature"), apparently borrowing from Britannica, suggests that had Swift been inclined to marry, he would have chosen Stella rather than Vanessa.
© Haydn Thompson 2021