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.
The name Jessica saw a significant increase in popularity from the mid-1970s to the early 1980s, with over 180 births per year between 1977 and 1984. However, its usage has declined steadily since then, dropping to single digits by the late 2000s and reaching as low as five births in recent years (2016). In total, there have been 3578 recorded births named Jessica from 1963 to 2016.