Jessica (given name)
Jessica (originally Iessica, also Jesica, Jesika, Jessicah, Jessika, or Jessikah) is a female given name.
A painting depicting Shylock and Jessica by Maurycy Gottlieb. The first use of the name Jessica is found in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. Act 2, Scene 3: (2.3.1) "Enter Iessica and the Clowne". | |
| Pronunciation | /ˈdʒɛsɪkə/ |
|---|---|
| Gender | Female |
| Origin | |
| Word/name | Early Modern English, derived from Hebrew, ultimately from the triconsonantal root ס־כ־ה, 'to see, behold, look for' |
| Meaning | "he will see/behold/look for" |
| Region of origin | Mesopotamia, during the exile of the Judean aristocracy from Judea |
| Other names | |
| Related names | |
| Popularity | see popular names |
The oldest written record of the name with its current spelling is found as the name of the Shakespearean character Jessica, from the play The Merchant of Venice. The name may have been an Anglicisation of the biblical Iscah (from Hebrew: יִסְכָּה, romanized: yiskā́), the name of a daughter of Haran briefly mentioned in the Book of Genesis 11:29. Iscah was rendered "Iesca" (Jeska) in the Matthew Bible version available in Shakespeare's day. Alternately, Shakespeare might have derived the name as a feminine version of the name Jesse, or from the word jess, a thin leather strap used to tether a bird such as a falcon in falconry.
"Jessica" was the first- or second-most popular female baby name in the United States from 1981 to 1998 before falling out of the Top 20 in 2004. It also rose to No. 1 in England and Wales in 2005, dropping to No. 3 in 2006. Common nicknames of the name Jessica include "Jess", "Jessi" and "Jessie".