Jessica (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 | English derived from Hebrew |
| Meaning | Foresighted, "to see before" |
| Region of origin | Hebrew |
| Other names | |
| Related names |
|
| Popularity | see popular names |
Jessica (originally Iessica, also Jesica, Jesika, Jessicah, Jessika, or Jessikah)[1] is a female given name.
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 the Hebrew: יִסְכָּה: yisekāh), 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]
"Jessica" was the first- or second-most popular female baby name in the United States from 1981 to 1998[5][6] before falling out of the Top 20 in 2004.[7] It also rose to #1 in England and Wales in 2005,[8] dropping to #3 in 2006.[9] Common nicknames of the name Jessica include "Jess", "Jessi" and "Jessie".
People with the given name[]
- Jessica Abel (born 1969), American comic book writer and artist
- Jessica Alba (born 1981), American actress
- Jessica Alexander (born 1999), English actress and model
- Jessica Amornkuldilok (born 1985), Thai model, the winner of Asia's Next Top Model
- Jessica Andersson (born 1973), Swedish singer
- Jessica Andrews (born 1983), American country music singer
- Jessica Antiles (born 1996), American swimmer
- Jessica Baglow (born 1989), English actress
- Jessica Benham, American politician and disability rights activist
- Jessica Berscheid (born 1997), Luxembourgish footballer
- Jessica Biel (born 1982), American actress and model
- Jessica Brown Findlay (born 1989), English actress
- Jessica Burciaga (born 1983), American model
- Jessica Caban (born 1982), American model, dancer and actress
- Jessica Capshaw (born 1976), American actress
- Jessica Care Moore (born 1971), American poet
- Jessica Castles (born 2002), English-Swedish artistic gymnast
- Jessica Chastain (born 1977), American actress
- Jessica Cirio (born 1985), Argentine model
- Jessica-Jane Clement (born 1985), British glamour model, actress and TV presenter
- Jessi Combs (1980–2019), American racer and TV presenter
- Jessica Cornish, known as Jessie J (born 1988), British singer-songwriter
- Jessica Davenport (born 1985), American basketball player
- Jessica De Gouw (born 1988), Australian actress
- Jessica Deglau (born 1980), Canadian swimmer
- Jessica DiCicco (born 1980), American actress
- Jessica Drake (born 1974), American pornographic actress
- Jessica Dubroff (1988–1996), American pilot trainee
- Jessica Eddie (born 1984), English rower
- Jessica Ennis (born 1986), British athlete
- Jessica Eye (born 1986), American mixed martial artist
- Jessica Falkholt (1988–2018), Australian actress
- Jessica Fodera (born 1975), American musician, singer and artist, known professionally as Jessicka
- Jessica Folcker (born 1975), Swedish singer
- Jessica Fox (canoeist) (born 1994), French-Australian slalom canoer
- Jessica Garlick (born 1981), Welsh singer
- Jessica Glynne, better known as Jess Glynne (born 1989), English singer-songwriter
- Jessica Gomes (born 1985), Australian model
- Jessica Harp (born 1982), American country singer-songwriter and guitarist
- Jessica Heeringa (1987–?), American murder victim
- Jessica Henwick (born 1992), British actress and writer
- Jessica Hogg (born 1995), Welsh artistic gymnast
- Jessica Hynes (born 1972), British actress, writer and comedian
- Jessica Iskandar (born 1988), Indonesian actress and model
- Jessica Iwanson (born 1948), Swedish choreographer and artistic director
- Jessica Jackley (born 1977), American businesswoman and entrepreneur
- Jessica Jaymes (1979–2019), American pornographic actress
- Jessica Jerome (born 1987), American ski jumper
- Jessica Joseph (born 1982), American ice dancer
- Jessica Jung (born 1989), American-Korean pop singer
- Jessica Kellgren-Fozard (born 1989), English YouTuber
- Jessica Knappett (born 1984), English comedy writer and actress
- Jessica Lange (born 1949), American actress
- Jessica Largey, American chef
- Jessica Lee Rose (born 1987), American-New Zealand actress
- Jessica Lowndes (born 1988), Canadian actress and singer-songwriter
- Jessica Lu (born 1985), American actress
- Jessica Lucas (born 1985), Canadian actress and singer
- Jessica Makinson (born 1978), American actress
- Jessica Martin (born 1962), British actress and comedian
- Jessica Mauboy (born 1989), Australian singer
- Jessica McClure (born 1986), known as "Baby Jessica" when rescued from a well as a toddler
- Jessica Meir (born 1977), American astronaut, biologist, and underwater diver
- Jessica Mendoza (born 1980), American softball player and sportscaster
- Jessica Mitford (1917–1996), Anglo-American writer
- Jessica Moore (basketball) (born 1982), American basketball player
- Jessica Moore (journalist) (born 1982), American journalist
- Jessica Moore (tennis) (born 1990), Australian tennis player
- Jessica Nelson (singer) (born 1993), British singer, known professionally as Jesy Nelson
- Jessica Nigri (born 1989), American cosplay enthusiast, promotional model, voice actress and Internet personality
- Jessica Nkosi (born 1990), South African actress
- Jessica Origliasso (born 1984), Australian musician
- Jessica Paré (born 1982), Canadian actress
- Jessica Pasaphan (born 1988), Thai actress
- Jessica Plummer (born 1992), English actress and singer
- Jessica Regan (born 1982), Irish actress
- Jessica Kelly Siobhan Reilly, known as Kelly Reilly (born 1977), English actress
- Jessica Ridgeway (2002–2012), American murder victim
- Jessica Rossi (born 1992), Italian sport shooter
- Jessica Rothe (born 1987), American actress
- Jessica Sanchez (born 1995), American recording artist
- Jessica Savitch (1947–1983), American TV news reporter
- Jessica Serfaty (born 1990), American model, contestant at America's Next Top Model
- Jessica Simpson (born 1980), American pop singer and actress
- Jessica Sklar, American mathematician
- Jessica Smith (editor) (1895–1983), American editor and activist
- Jessica Soho (born 1964), Filipina broadcast journalist
- Jessica Stam (born 1986), Canadian model
- Jessica Stasinowsky (born 1985), Australian convicted murderer
- Jessica Steinhauser, known as Asia Carrera (born 1973), American pornographic actress
- Jessica Stroup (born 1986), American actress and model
- Jessica Sula (born 1994), Welsh actress
- Jessica Sutta (born 1982), American dancer and singer
- Jessica Szohr (born 1985), American actress
- Jessica Tandy (1909–1994), English-American actress
- Jessica Taylor (born 1980), English singer
- Jessica Torny (born 1980), Dutch footballer
- Jessica Upshaw (1959–2013), American politician and lawyer
- Jessica Utts (born 1952), American statistician
- Jessica Varnish (born 1990), British track cyclist
- Jessica Vetter (born 1985), American ice hockey player
- Jessica Villarubin (born 1996), Filipino singer and performer
- Jessica Voorsanger (born 1965), American artist
- Jessica Wahls (born 1977), German pop singer
- Jessica Walter (1941–2021), American actress
- Jessica White (born 1984), American model
- Jessica Wich (born 1990), German footballer
- Jessica Williams (musician) (born 1948), American pianist and composer
- Jessica Wong (born 1991), Canadian ice hockey player
- Jessica L. Wright (born 1952), American politician
- Jessica Keenan Wynn (born 1986), American actress
- Jessica Yaniv, Canadian transgender activist
- Jessica Yellin (born 1971), American journalist
- Jessica Yu (born 1966), American film director
- Jessica Zafra (born 1965), Filipina writer
- Jessica Zajicek, American actress
- Jessica Zelinka (born 1981), Canadian pentathlete
- Jessica Zhu (born 1986), Chinese-American pianist
People with the middle name[]
- Sarah Jessica Parker (born 1965), American actress, model, singer and producer
Fictional characters[]
- Jessica (The Merchant of Venice), in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice
- Lady Jessica, in the Dune science fiction universe
- Jessica (originally Reika), in the Japanese TV series Stitch!
- Jessica Baker, in the 2003 film Cheaper by the Dozen and its sequel
- Jessica "Jessie" Bannon, in the television series The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest
- Jessica Cruz, superhero in DC Comics universe
- Jessica Darling, in a novel series by Megan McCafferty
- Jessica Davis, in the novel and Netflix series 13 Reasons Why
- Jessica Day, in the sitcom New Girl
- Jessica Drew, in the Marvel Comics Universe series Spider-Woman
- Jessica Fisher, in the television series Waterloo Road
- Jessica Fletcher, in the American television mystery series Murder, She Wrote
- Jessica Glitter, in the American sitcom How I Met Your Mother
- Jessica Hamby, in the HBO series True Blood
- Jessica James, in The Incredible Jessica James
- Jessica Jones, a superhero in the Marvel Comics Universe
- Jessica Lovejoy, in the television series The Simpsons
- Jessica Moore, in the TV series Supernatural
- Jessica Morgan, the main human protagonist of The Transformers Season 3, "The Return of Optimus Prime"
- Jessica Rabbit, in the Who Framed Roger Rabbit series
- Jessica "Jesse" Miriam Reeves, in the 2002 film Queen of the Damned
- Jessica Riley, a playable character in the survival horror game Until Dawn
- Jessica Ruiz, in the television series The Electric Company
- Jessica Sanders, in the NBC science fiction drama Heroes
- Jessica Stanley, in the Twilight Saga written by Stephenie Meyer
- Jessica Tate, in the American TV series Soap
- Jessica Ushiromiya, from Umineko no Naku Koro ni
- Jessica Wakefield, in the Sweet Valley High and Sweet Valley Twins novels
- Jessica Warren, in the television series Bones
See also[]
- All pages with titles beginning with Jessica
- Jessie (disambiguation)
- Jess (disambiguation)
- Baby Jessica case
- Jessica's Law
- Jessica (instrumental)
References[]
- ^ "Jesica - Name Meaning, What does Jesica mean?". www.thinkbabynames.com. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
- ^ Hanks, P. & Hodges, F. (1990). A Dictionary of First Names. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-211651-7.
- ^ "Genesis 11:29 in Matthew, Geneva and King James' versions". Retrieved 11 August 2017.
- ^ Karl Elze (1874), Essays on Shakespeare (PCMI collection), translated by L. Dora Schmitz, Macmillan and Company
- ^ Most Popular 1000 Names of the 1980s. Social Security Administration (SSA), United States. Retrieved February 22, 2007.
- ^ Most Popular 1000 Names of the 1990s. Social Security Administration (SSA), United States. Retrieved February 22, 2007.
- ^ OACT. "Popular Baby Names". www.ssa.gov. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
- ^ Baby Names, England and Wales, 2005. Office for National Statistics (ONS), United Kingdom. Released: 28 July 2011.
- ^ Baby Names, England and Wales, 2006. Office for National Statistics (ONS), United Kingdom. Released: 28 July 2011.
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