Jessica first name popularity, history and meaning

Find out how popular the first name Jessica has been for the last 50 years (from 1974 to 2023) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Meaning of Jessica

A feminine name of Hebrew origin meaning "wealthy" or "God beholds".

Popularity of Jessica by gender

Based on the last 50 years of data, Jessica is more commonly used as a female name, with approximately 100% of people named Jessica being female.

For the most recent data in 2023, there were 545 female babies and 0 male babies born with the name Jessica.

Year Male Count Female Count
2023 0 545
2022 0 617
2021 0 652
2020 0 777
2019 0 967
2018 0 1,067
2017 0 1,288
2016 5 1,391
2015 0 1,590
2014 0 1,801
2013 0 1,949
2012 0 2,334
2011 9 2,623
2010 6 3,199
2009 10 3,801
2008 6 4,737
2007 13 5,713
2006 10 6,815
2005 19 8,115
2004 35 9,470
2003 17 10,452
2002 22 11,921
2001 27 13,923
2000 27 15,711
1999 28 16,349
1998 30 18,237
1997 45 21,045
1996 47 24,201
1995 51 27,939
1994 105 32,122
1993 100 34,990
1992 104 38,360
1991 120 43,397
1990 140 46,478
1989 252 47,889
1988 225 51,552
1987 243 55,996
1986 217 52,682
1985 230 48,346
1984 180 45,857
1983 194 45,281
1982 188 45,453
1981 165 42,537
1980 126 33,925
1979 114 27,782
1978 95 26,103
1977 92 24,845
1976 56 18,369
1975 51 12,930
1974 42 10,653

The history of the first name Jessica

The name Jessica has its origins in the Hebrew language and culture. It is a variant of the ancient Hebrew name Yehoshua or Yeshua, which translates to "Yahweh is salvation" or "Yahweh is deliverance." The name Yeshua was borne by the central figure of Christianity, Jesus Christ.

The journey of the name Jessica began when the Hebrew name Yeshua was transliterated into Greek as "Iesous." This Greek form was then adopted into Latin as "Iesus." Over time, the name evolved into various forms in different European languages, such as the Spanish "Jesús," the Italian "Gesù," and the English "Jesus."

One of the early recorded instances of the name Jessica can be found in the 16th century Italian Renaissance literature, specifically in the works of Giovanni Boccaccio and Ariosto. It was used as a variant of the Italian name "Gessica," which was derived from the Latin "Iesus."

In the 16th century, the English playwright William Shakespeare popularized the name Jessica in his famous play "The Merchant of Venice." The character Jessica, the daughter of the Jewish moneylender Shylock, is considered one of the earliest and most notable uses of the name in English literature.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Jessica:

  1. Jessica Dubroff (1988-1996), an American student pilot who tragically died in a plane crash at the age of 7 while attempting to become the youngest person to fly across the United States.

  2. Jessica Tandy (1909-1994), an English-American actress renowned for her performances in films like "Driving Miss Daisy," for which she won an Academy Award.

  3. Jessica Ennis-Hill (born 1986), a British track and field athlete who specialized in heptathlon and won a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics.

  4. Jessica Chastain (born 1977), an American actress known for her roles in films like "Zero Dark Thirty," "The Help," and "Interstellar."

  5. Jessica Savitch (1947-1983), an American television news presenter and journalist who was one of the first women to anchor a major US network evening newscast.

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Jessica was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Jessica, please contact us.

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"Jessica first name popularity, history and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 5, 2024. http://namecensus.com/first-names/jessica-meaning-and-history/.

"Jessica first name popularity, history and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/first-names/jessica-meaning-and-history/. Accessed 5 November, 2024

Jessica first name popularity, history and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/first-names/jessica-meaning-and-history/.

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