Jessica

Jessica: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “God beholds”
Origin: Hebrew
Say it: JESS-i-kə · 3 syllables
Used for: Girls

Probably based on the biblical name Iscah, re-formed by Shakespeare in The Merchant of Venice. Jessica is an English literary creation with Hebrew roots.

English names American names Names meaning faith Classic names Literary names

How popular is Jessica?

2024158 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Jessica in 2024526

2024 rank#574 girls

Peak year1987

Total US babies since 18801,053,884

Jessica is fading: recent use is about 29% of its level ten years before.

Names like Jessica

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

JessieGod beholds · Hebrew
JessaGod beholds · Hebrew
Jesshe sees · Hebrew
JessikaGod beholds · Hebrew
Elizabethmy God is an oath · Hebrew
Elianamy God has answered · Hebrew
Abigailmy father is joy · Hebrew
Naomipleasantness · Hebrew

Jessica questions

What does the name Jessica mean?

Jessica means "God beholds". It comes from Hebrew. Probably based on the biblical name Iscah, re-formed by Shakespeare in The Merchant of Venice. Jessica is an English literary creation with Hebrew roots.

Is Jessica a boy or girl name?

Jessica is mainly a girl's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Jessica?

526 US babies were named Jessica in 2024. Its peak year was 1987.

How do you pronounce Jessica?

Jessica is usually pronounced JESS-i-kə.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.