Find out how popular the last name Jessica is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Jessica.

Jessica, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Jessica surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Jessica in America

Jessica is the 82613th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Jessica surname appeared 228 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Jessica.

We can also compare 2010 data for Jessica to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Jessica

The surname Jessica does not have a long-standing history as a surname, as it is primarily used as a given name in modern times. However, it is believed to have originated from the Hebrew name Yehoshua or Yeshua, which translates to "God is salvation" or "God is deliverance."

The name Yehoshua later evolved into the Greek form of Iesous, which then became the Latin name Iesus or Jesus. The name Jessica is thought to have derived from the medieval Spanish and Italian forms of Iesus, which were Xesus and Giesu, respectively.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jessica can be found in the play "The Merchant of Venice" by William Shakespeare, written around 1596-1597. In the play, Jessica is the daughter of the Jewish moneylender Shylock, who elopes with a Christian named Lorenzo.

In the 17th century, there were a few notable individuals with the surname Jessica, although the name was still primarily used as a given name. One example is Jessica Henefer, an English actress who was active in the late 1600s. Another is Jessica Whitelocke, a British landowner and writer who lived from 1644 to 1708.

During the 18th century, the surname Jessica continued to be relatively uncommon, but there were a few notable individuals who bore it. One such person was Jessica Harrop, a British Quaker and diarist who lived from 1706 to 1776.

In the 19th century, the surname Jessica became slightly more prevalent, although it was still relatively rare. One notable figure from this time period was Jessica Randolph, an American socialite and philanthropist who lived from 1824 to 1899.

Another significant individual with the surname Jessica was Jessica Townsend, a British author and activist who lived from 1836 to 1901. Townsend was a prominent figure in the women's suffrage movement and wrote several influential works on the subject.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Jessica

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Jessica.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Jessica was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Jessica has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

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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