Girl nameCurrently #574 in the USFalling
Jessica
JESS-ih-kuh//ˈdʒɛsɪkə//
3 syllablesPeak year: 19877 lettersStarts with J
Meaning & origin
God beholds
Jessica is widely believed to have been coined by Shakespeare for a character in 'The Merchant of Venice', likely adapted from the biblical Hebrew name Iscah, meaning 'God beholds' or 'foresight'. It became enormously popular from the 1970s through the 1990s and remains a beloved modern classic.
Jessica's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Jessica |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 7 |
| 1881 | 7 |
| 1882 | 8 |
| 1883 | 6 |
| 1884 | 14 |
| 1885 | 6 |
| 1886 | 11 |
| 1887 | 8 |
| 1888 | 18 |
| 1889 | 9 |
| 1890 | 18 |
| 1891 | 14 |
| 1892 | 14 |
| 1893 | 15 |
| 1894 | 10 |
| 1895 | 19 |
| 1896 | 9 |
| 1897 | 9 |
| 1898 | 13 |
| 1899 | 14 |
| 1900 | 23 |
| 1901 | 8 |
| 1902 | 9 |
| 1903 | 16 |
| 1904 | 16 |
| 1905 | 17 |
| 1906 | 18 |
| 1907 | 17 |
| 1908 | 17 |
| 1909 | 18 |
| 1910 | 28 |
| 1911 | 21 |
| 1912 | 36 |
| 1913 | 25 |
| 1914 | 42 |
| 1915 | 55 |
| 1916 | 53 |
| 1917 | 55 |
| 1918 | 56 |
| 1919 | 40 |
| 1920 | 43 |
| 1921 | 48 |
| 1922 | 40 |
| 1923 | 52 |
| 1924 | 41 |
| 1925 | 34 |
| 1926 | 35 |
| 1927 | 39 |
| 1928 | 36 |
| 1929 | 42 |
| 1930 | 38 |
| 1931 | 40 |
| 1932 | 44 |
| 1933 | 43 |
| 1934 | 46 |
| 1935 | 47 |
| 1936 | 43 |
| 1937 | 71 |
| 1938 | 50 |
| 1939 | 77 |
| 1940 | 61 |
| 1941 | 81 |
| 1942 | 127 |
| 1943 | 121 |
| 1944 | 124 |
| 1945 | 132 |
| 1946 | 240 |
| 1947 | 430 |
| 1948 | 482 |
| 1949 | 406 |
| 1950 | 402 |
| 1951 | 466 |
| 1952 | 453 |
| 1953 | 495 |
| 1954 | 424 |
| 1955 | 387 |
| 1956 | 406 |
| 1957 | 476 |
| 1958 | 529 |
| 1959 | 522 |
| 1960 | 556 |
| 1961 | 668 |
| 1962 | 864 |
| 1963 | 1,125 |
| 1964 | 1,178 |
| 1965 | 1,540 |
| 1966 | 1,678 |
| 1967 | 1,772 |
| 1968 | 1,840 |
| 1969 | 2,505 |
| 1970 | 4,037 |
| 1971 | 5,379 |
| 1972 | 6,230 |
| 1973 | 7,248 |
| 1974 | 10,697 |
| 1975 | 12,979 |
| 1976 | 18,425 |
| 1977 | 24,937 |
| 1978 | 26,198 |
| 1979 | 27,896 |
| 1980 | 34,049 |
| 1981 | 42,697 |
| 1982 | 45,637 |
| 1983 | 45,478 |
| 1984 | 46,038 |
| 1985 | 48,578 |
| 1986 | 52,901 |
| 1987 | 56,239 |
| 1988 | 51,782 |
| 1989 | 48,139 |
| 1990 | 46,626 |
| 1991 | 43,515 |
| 1992 | 38,464 |
| 1993 | 35,093 |
| 1994 | 32,227 |
| 1995 | 27,990 |
| 1996 | 24,247 |
| 1997 | 21,090 |
| 1998 | 18,268 |
| 1999 | 16,378 |
| 2000 | 15,738 |
| 2001 | 13,952 |
| 2002 | 11,943 |
| 2003 | 10,471 |
| 2004 | 9,505 |
| 2005 | 8,134 |
| 2006 | 6,825 |
| 2007 | 5,727 |
| 2008 | 4,745 |
| 2009 | 3,811 |
| 2010 | 3,206 |
| 2011 | 2,634 |
| 2012 | 2,335 |
| 2013 | 1,951 |
| 2014 | 1,802 |
| 2015 | 1,591 |
| 2016 | 1,397 |
| 2017 | 1,291 |
| 2018 | 1,066 |
| 2019 | 969 |
| 2020 | 779 |
| 2021 | 656 |
| 2022 | 620 |
| 2023 | 550 |
| 2024 | 526 |
Jessica through the decades
- Jessica peaked in 1987, when 56,239 babies were named Jessica in the US.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Jessica has fallen 77% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Jessica currently ranks #574 in the US and is cooling off.
Nicknames
JessJessie
Variants & spellings
Jesica
Famous people named Jessica
- Jessica Chastain — actress