Female name
Jessica
105,401 births (England and Wales, 1996–2025), peaking in 1996. Expression number: 3.
Origin
First used by William Shakespeare in Merchant of Venice in the early 17th century, probably from Hebrew יִסְכָּה (yiská, “Iscah in Genesis 11:29, Jescha in the Wycliffe version”), a proper name meaning "he will see/behold/look for", the 3ms imperfect form of a verb ultimately from the root ס־כ־ה (s-k-h), itself an alternative form of the root שׂ־כ־ה (ś-k-h), both of which mean "to see, behold, look for". By folk etymology seen as an elaborate form of Jessie, from Jane.From Wiktionary, entry “Jessica”, text under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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How many babies received it
From the official birth registers.
In England and Wales
Peak in 1996: 6,711 births. 105,401 births from 1996 to 2025. A name given mostly in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. At its peak, it ranked 1st among girls' names in 2005. It is still given: 3,111 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Baby names in England and Wales, Open Government Licence v3.0.
In the United States
Peak in 1987: 56,235 births. 1,054,307 births from 1880 to 2025. A name given mostly in the 1980s and 1990s. At its peak, it ranked 1st among girls' names in 1985. It really came into use around 1900. It is still given: 2,777 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Social Security Administration, Popular Baby Names, public domain.
In Ireland
Peak in 1995: 362 births. 9,306 births from 1964 to 2025. A name given mostly in the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. At its peak, it ranked 12th among girls' names in 1995. It really came into use around 1975. It is still given: 297 births from 2021 to 2025.
Source: Central Statistics Office, Irish Babies' Names, CC BY 4.0.
Elsewhere in the world
The name in the birth records of the 10 countries we track. The period covered varies from country to country.
| Country | Births | Period | Best rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 71,050 | 1900–2025 | 13th in 1984 |
| Quebec | 16,892 | 1980–2025 | 1st in 1991 |
| Switzerland | 12,682* | 1915–2025 | — |
| Austria | 4,403 | 1984–2025 | 33rd in 1995 |
| Argentina | 602 | 2012–2023 | — |
| Berlin | 167 | 2012–2023 | — |
| Belgium | 33 | 2014–2023 | — |
* These are the people living in the country, counted by year of birth, not the number of births.
Source: INSEE, Fichier des prénoms, Etalab Open Licence 2.0; Retraite Québec, Banque de prénoms, CC BY 4.0; Federal Statistical Office, First names of the population by year of birth, free use with attribution; Statistik Austria, Vornamen, CC BY 4.0; RENAPER, Nombres propios en Argentina, CC BY 4.0 (the registry doesn't record sex); Open Data Berlin, Häufige Vornamen, CC BY 3.0 DE (every name a child carries, not only the first); Statbel, first names of newborns, CC BY 4.0 (one total for the whole period, no yearly breakdown).
The numbers of the name
Each letter has a value: A = 1, B = 2… I = 9, then J = 1 again (Pythagorean method). We add them up, then reduce to a single digit, except 11, 22 and 33.
■ vowel · ■ consonant
Expression
All the letters: talents, the way you act.
3
expression, creativity, sociability
1 + 5 + 1 + 1 + 9 + 3 + 1 = 21 → 3
Soul
The vowels: what drives you deep down.
6
responsibility, harmony, commitment to others
5 + 9 + 1 = 15 → 6
Personality
The consonants: what others notice first.
6
responsibility, harmony, commitment to others
1 + 1 + 1 + 3 = 6
- Digits missing from the name
- 2, 4, 6, 7, 8
- Most frequent digit
- 1 · initiative, independence, beginnings
The meaning of the numbers comes from numerological tradition; it isn't a measure of your personality. A full portrait needs your first and middle names, your last name at birth, and your date of birth. How we calculate
Your name and theirs
The number of each name, and the number of the bond, which comes from adding them together. A symbolic game: what your two names say together, to be read as a metaphor, not as a verdict on your relationship.