Jessica is a girl name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Jessica means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Jessica across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Jessica has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Jessica is a girl name of Hebrew origin meaning “of uncertain meaning, possibly foresight”. first popularised by Shakespeare in The Merchant of Venice.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 1,054,307 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 104,395 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 8,272 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 3,312 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 9,306 births |
| New Zealand top 100, since 1954 | 13,079 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Jessica per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1987 (56,235/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 1996 (6,711/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2014 (419/yr) · Ireland peaked in 1995 (362/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2008 (206/yr).
Jessica has been one of the most popular baby names in the United States. It was most common in 1987, when it ranked #2 nationally (given to 56,416 babies that year), and a popular choice in the 1980s.
Jessika · Jesica · Jesika · Jesseca · Jessyca · Jessicca · Jessyka · Jessic
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