Jessica
Jessica is a female given name of English origin.
- English
- French
- German
- Swedish
Meaning & Origin of Jessica
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Jessica is a female given name of English origin.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
- French
- German
- Swedish
- Norwegian
- Danish
- Dutch
- Italian
- Spanish
- Portuguese
The Story of Jessica
Jessica first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 7 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1987, when 55,996 Jessicas were born — ranking #1 that year. As of 2026, Jessica ranks #640 for baby girls with 462 births, falling sharply (-44%). In total, more than 1.1M Jessicas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Jessica
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Jessica. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Where is Jessica most common?
Predicted country distribution based on naming patterns globally.
- China50%
- Italy18%
- Nigeria12%
- TW11%
- HK9%
Source: Nationalize.io . Probabilities are global naming-pattern estimates, not strict counts.
Names that sound like Jessica
Phonetically similar names — useful when Jessica is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Jessica
What does the name Jessica mean?
What is the origin of the name Jessica?
How popular is Jessica in 2026?
When was Jessica most popular?
In which U.S. states is Jessica most popular?
Is Jessica a unisex name?
What names go well with Jessica?
What are nicknames or variants of Jessica?
About the name Jessica
Jessica is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 1.1M births in the dataset. Jessica's peak popularity came in 1987 when it ranked #1. Use the chart and map above to compare Jessica's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1987 →
- Names of the 1980s →
- Names starting with "J" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.