Jessica
Apparently Shakespeare’s reshaping, in The Merchant of Venice, of the biblical Iscah.
Popularity, 1880–2025
Coined by Shakespeare for Shylock's daughter in The Merchant of Venice; it traded the No. 1 spot with Ashley through the late 80s and 90s.
Jessica appears in the national records from the very first year, 1880. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American girls in every year from 1970 to 2010. It has been the single most popular name for American girls in 9 different years, first in 1985 and most recently in 1995. Its biggest year was 1987, when 55,992 newborn girls received the name, ranking it No. 1 nationally. In 2025 it ranked No. 665 for girls. All told, 1,054,307 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Jessika (5,969), Jesica (4,720), Jesseca (1,498), Jessyca (1,280), Jesika (1,275), Jessicca (558) (total births since 1880)
Other names that share a story: Jessie
Explore Jessica interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 94 | No. 556 |
| 1890s | 135 | No. 617 |
| 1900s | 159 | No. 760 |
| 1910s | 411 | No. 812 |
| 1920s | 410 | No. 1054 |
| 1930s | 499 | No. 775 |
| 1940s | 2,204 | No. 353 |
| 1950s | 4,559 | No. 379 |
| 1960s | 13,671 | No. 134 |
| 1970s | 143,492 | No. 3 |
| 1980s | 469,510 | No. 1 |
| 1990s | 303,136 | No. 1 |
| 2000s | 90,665 | No. 8 |
| 2010s | 18,227 | No. 92 |
| 2020s | 3,557 | No. 399 |
Births and rank shown for girls, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.