Jesica
Jesica was the 15950th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 5 babies. Its best year was 1987, when it ranked 756th with 238 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 3,610 places. More babies were named Jesica in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Jessica) probably from biblical Iscah; coined by Shakespeare · Hebrew, English
- Rank in 2025
- #15,950 girls
- Babies in 2025
- 5girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1987238 babies
- Total since 1880
- 4,720babies recorded
What does the name Jesica mean?
Jesica is a spelling of Jessica, pronounced the same way, so it shares Jessica's meaning and origin.
Jessica first appears in English as the name of Shylock's daughter in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. Wiktionary takes it to be Shakespeare's version of Iscah, a minor figure in Genesis 11:29, whose name was spelled Jescha in the Wycliffe Bible. Hebrew Yiskah is usually explained from a verb meaning to see or look out, so Wiktionary glosses the name "he will see" or "he will look." Wiktionary also notes that people later took Jessica as a longer form of Jessie, which is a folk etymology.
יִסְכָּה (Biblical Hebrew, “Iscah; from a root 'to see, look'”)
How sure is this? Probable. The link with Iscah is the standard explanation but rests on Shakespeare's likely source, not on his own statement.
Other explanations you may read: A long form of Jessie (from Jane/Janet). Jessica is older in English than that reading..
Related names: Jess, Jessie, Jessika, Iscah.
See also: Hebrew names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Jessica' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Genesis 11:29, The JPS Tanakh: Gender-Sensitive Edition (via Sefaria), Jewish Publication Society / Sefaria
Jesica popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #15,950 | 5 |
| 2020 | — | — |
| 2010 | #5,503 | 25 |
| 2000 | #1,956 | 86 |
| 1990 | #931 | 204 |
| 1980 | #1,037 | 138 |
| 1970 | #4,123 | 14 |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Jesica, counting every spelling?
Jesica is a spelling of Jessica, a name family that ranked #659 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #15,950 for Jesica on its own. Together these spellings went to 436 girls in 2025.
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Jesica?
5 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Jesica (0.00 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Jesica born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 1,661 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Jesica.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Jesica?
About 4,600 people born in the US named Jesica are alive today, with a median age of 37; half are between 30 and 43. That makes Jesica mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Jesica by state
How common Jesica was among girls born in each state in 1985–1989, around its peak. It is notably more common than nationally in Washington (1.6×), California (1.5×). In 30 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Jesica: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Jesica, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Jesica
What does Jesica mean?
Jesica is a spelling of Jessica, which means “probably from biblical Iscah; coined by Shakespeare” (Hebrew, English origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Jesica?
Jesica was the 15950th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 5 babies. Its best year was 1987, when it ranked 756th with 238 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 3,610 places. More babies were named Jesica in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Is Jesica a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Jesica in the US.
Where was Jesica most popular?
In 1985–1989, Jesica was most common in Washington (0.19 per 1,000 girls), followed by Kansas and California.