Jessica is a feminine given name of Latin origin, derived from the male name "Caesius", which means "like the emperor". The name was popularized by Shakespeare's play "The Merchant of Venice", where Jessica is the daughter of Shylock who elopes with Lorenzo to convert to Christianity.
The name Jessica has been used throughout history, but it gained significant popularity in the mid-20th century. It reached peak popularity in the United States during the 1980s and 1990s, where it was consistently ranked among the top 100 names for girls.
Today, Jessica remains a popular name around the world, with variations such as Jesse, Jesseca, and Jessika also being used. Despite its origins and history, the name Jessica does not have any specific cultural or religious significance beyond its meaning of "like the emperor". Instead, it is simply appreciated for its sound and its association with strong female characters in literature and popular culture.
In summary, Jessica is a feminine given name of Latin origin that means "like the emperor". Popularized by Shakespeare's play "The Merchant of Venice", the name has been used throughout history but gained significant popularity in the mid-20th century. Today, it remains a popular name around the world and does not have any specific cultural or religious significance beyond its meaning.
Statistics show that the name Jessica has seen significant fluctuations in popularity over the past five decades in the United States.
The name first appeared on the radar with a total of 5 births recorded in 1963, and it steadily gained traction over the following years. It reached its peak popularity between the late 1970s and mid-1980s, with the highest number of births recorded at 243 in 1987.
However, from the early 1990s onwards, there was a noticeable decline in the number of babies named Jessica. This trend continued until the early 2000s, with the lowest point reached in 2006, when only 10 births were recorded.
Despite this downward trend, the name Jessica has managed to maintain some level of popularity, with occasional spikes in recent years. For instance, there were 9 births recorded in 2011 and 5 births in 2016.
Overall, according to the statistics, a total of 3578 babies have been named Jessica in the United States since 1963. This demonstrates that while popularity can fluctuate significantly over time, some names remain consistently popular over several decades.