Poking around the internet tonight I found that the name Jessica was first used by Shakespeare in his play ‘The Merchant of Venice‘. It is thought that Shakespeare based it on the biblical name Iscah meaning “YAHWEH beholds” in Hebrew. Jessica is also sometimes used as a feminine form of Jesse, which is from the Hebrew name Yishay which possibly meant gift.
In 2002, Jessica was the 16th most popular name for female babies. Here is a run down of the popularity of the name for the last 100 years:
Year: Rank
2002: 16
1990s: 2
1980s: 1
1970s: 10
1960s: 468
1950s: 448
1940s: 539
1930s: >1,000
1920s: >1,000
1910s: 953
1900s: 913
Out of curiosity, I looked up my own name. Last year Rachelle was the 918th most popular name for female babies. If I use the scale of popularity for Jessica, Rachelle should reach #1 in popularity approximately by the year 2080.
Sources: Behind the Name: The Etymology and History of First Names and the Social Security’s Office of the Chief Actuary.
Kelly // Jun 1, 2003 at 6:59 am
Interesting site! Emily has been number 1 since 1996. You find the neatest sites, Shell.
tien // Jun 1, 2003 at 9:58 am
sheesh, you would think that they would have “tien” in chinese, but no. and it isnt even in the top 1000 of names. i thought that was just a tad strange.
Richard Bowden // Jun 1, 2003 at 6:04 pm
I’ve been to that site before. Mary was the most popular girls name in the 1900’s, 10’s, 20’s, 30’s, 40’s and 50’s. Some of those decades it was over twice as popular as the runner up. In the 60’s it dropped to #2.the
LEC // Oct 3, 2003 at 12:16 pm
Interesting to see the popularity of the name change personally it is my favourite female name and will always be the number 1 name in the world! If I have a daughter she will certainly be called Jessica!
Jessica // Aug 4, 2004 at 11:10 pm
More on the origin of the name Jessica: It may be based on the Biblical name Iscah meaning “Yahweh beholds” in Hebrew. Iscah is a minor character in Genesis.
Jessica // Oct 26, 2004 at 5:06 pm
ok there should be way more people who want the name jessica it is the best name in the world dont u think so well i do so u should to i mean y dont evryone name ther kid jessica its the best name in the world and they can name the boy shane cause that is the second best name in the world well cya and its the best name in the world
~*Jessica*~
Enukt // Nov 1, 2004 at 8:52 am
Interesting! My name is Emily, and my cat’s name is Jessica.
Jessica Smoot // Dec 13, 2004 at 2:47 pm
This imformation was very valuable. i have always wanted know the origin of my name.
Jessica // Sep 25, 2005 at 5:53 pm
I Love My Name…..ALOT!!
Jessica // Oct 27, 2005 at 4:40 pm
hi! my name is jessica and i luv my name..alot of ppl like it too..so im wondering why ppl like the name so much??…
!~ jessica ~! // Nov 29, 2005 at 9:05 am
hiya my name is jessica too ! i love it b/c it can be shortened to loads of names! also,it sounds good when you put it against most male names like : Jess loves Jordan , and Jess loves Jake, and Jess loves Jack, and Jess loves Jamie, Jess loves James and so on! i love it ! i think everyone should be called Jessica! there are quite a few famous Jessica’s too! like Jessica Simpson and Jessica in Liberty X ! love Jessica!
Jessica G. // Dec 8, 2005 at 3:24 pm
OMG do you believe this. My first name is Jessica and my middle name is Rachelle. How crazy is that??
I was also born in 1984. #1 baby!!
Jessica // Jan 11, 2006 at 9:06 am
MY NAME IS JESSICA..ALTHOUGH I LIKE TO SPELL IT LKE THIS : JESSIKA..U KNOW! WITH THE “K”..HAHA..WELL I G2G…
Jessica // Jan 11, 2006 at 9:06 am
MY NAME IS JESSICA..ALTHOUGH I LIKE TO SPELL IT LKE THIS : JESSIKA..U KNOW! WITH THE “K”..HAHA..WELL I G2G…