It’s the rare name where the normal usage is skewed entirely towards one gender, yet the most famous bearer is of the opposite gender. For a lot of people, including me, when they hear Ness, they think of the iconic character from Earthbound and Super Smash Bros, which is a pretty awesome association. Either way, I think it’s a great name, and honestly does have unisex potential, when you consider the similar sounding Jess.