Behind the Name
the etymology and history of first names
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View Name: Jessica


JESSICA
GENDER: Feminine
USAGE: English, French, German, Scandinavian, Italian
PRONOUNCED: JES-i-kə (English)   [key]
Meaning & History
This name was first used in this form by Shakespeare in his play 'The Merchant of Venice' (1596), where it belongs to the daughter of Shylock. Shakespeare probably based it on the biblical name ISCAH, which would have been spelled Jescha in his time. It was not commonly used as a given name until the middle of the 20th century.
Related Names
VARIANTS: Jessika (English), Jessika (German), Gessica (Italian)
DIMINUTIVES: Jess, Jessa, Jessie, Jessalyn, Jessi, Jessye (English)
OTHER LANGUAGES: Iscah, Jescha (Biblical), Yiskah (Biblical Hebrew), Iekika (Hawaiian)
Popularity
United States  ranked #92 
England/Wales  ranked #6 
Canada (BC)  ranked #42 
Australia (NSW)  ranked #20 
Austria  - 
Belgium  - 
France  ranked #262 
Ireland  ranked #29 
Netherlands  ranked #304 
Northern Ireland  ranked #8 
Scotland  ranked #11 
Sweden  - 



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