Meaning and history
This name was first used in this form by William Shakespeare in The Merchant of Venice (1596), where it is given to Shylock’s daughter, and Shakespeare likely derived it from the biblical name Iscah, which appeared as Jescha or Jischa in some translations available in his time. It did not become widely used until the mid-20th century, reached peak popularity in the United States in 1987, and was the top girls’ name from 1985 to 1995 except in 1991 and 1992, when Ashley replaced it. Notable bearers include actresses Jessica Tandy (1909–1994) and Jessica Lange (1949–).
20062006: 6,815 births, rank #32
2007: 5,714 births, rank #42
2008: 4,739 births, rank #59
2009: 3,801 births, rank #78
2010: 3,200 births, rank #92
20112011: 2,626 births, rank #118
2012: 2,335 births, rank #137
2013: 1,951 births, rank #164
2014: 1,804 births, rank #179
2015: 1,592 births, rank #206
20162016: 1,392 births, rank #231
2017: 1,292 births, rank #246
2018: 1,065 births, rank #313
2019: 970 births, rank #331
2020: 780 births, rank #399
20212021: 656 births, rank #477
2022: 620 births, rank #508
2023: 550 births, rank #549
2024: 527 births, rank #575
20252025: 424 births, rank #665
Jessica climbed to #1 for girls from 1985 through 1990. It remains prominent at #665 in 2025. Its highest annual birth count came in 1987, with 55,992 births.