Jessica (given name)

For other uses, see Jessica (disambiguation).
Jessica
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/ JESS-ik-ə
GenderFemale
Origin
Word/nameEarly 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 originMesopotamia, during the exile of the Judean aristocracy from Judea
Other names
Related names

Jessica (originally Iessica, also Jesica, Jesika, Jessicah, Jessika, or Jessikah)[1] is a female given name of Hebrew origin.

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.[2][3][4] 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.[5]

"Jessica" was the first- or second-most popular female baby name in the United States from 1981 to 1998[6][7] before falling out of the Top 20 in 2004.[8] It also rose to No. 1 in England and Wales in 2005,[9] dropping to No. 3 in 2006.[10] Common nicknames of the name Jessica include "Jess", "Jessi" and "Jessie".

  1. ^ "Jesica - Name Meaning, What does Jesica mean?". www.thinkbabynames.com. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  2. ^ Hanks, P. & Hodges, F. (1990). A Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-211651-7.
  3. ^ "Genesis 11:29 in Matthew, Geneva and King James' versions". Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  4. ^ Karl Elze (1874), Essays on Shakespeare (PCMI collection), translated by L. Dora Schmitz, Macmillan and Company
  5. ^ Evans, Cleveland Kent (24 March 2024). "Evans: Shakespeare is the Author of the Name Jessica". omaha.com. Omaha World Herald. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
  6. ^ Most Popular 1000 Names of the 1980s. Social Security Administration (SSA), United States. Retrieved February 22, 2007.
  7. ^ Most Popular 1000 Names of the 1990s. Social Security Administration (SSA), United States. Retrieved February 22, 2007.
  8. ^ OACT. "Popular Baby Names". www.ssa.gov. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  9. ^ Baby Names, England and Wales, 2005. Office for National Statistics (ONS), United Kingdom. Released: 28 July 2011.
  10. ^ Baby Names, England and Wales, 2006. Office for National Statistics (ONS), United Kingdom. Released: 28 July 2011.