Jessica - What Does Your Name Mean?
67
What does the name Jessica mean, what is its origin and who are the famous Jessicas? Discover the story behind the name.
Name Meaning: Jessica
Jessica is a female name pronounced Jeh-si-kah.
The meaning and origin of the name Jessica is not known.
It could be from the Hebrew biblical name 'Iscah', which means "to behold" or "foresight". Iscah was the niece of Abraham.
Jessica could also be a feminine form of the male name Jesse, which is from the Hebrew 'yishai', meaning "gift".
Alternatively, it could be a derivative of the nickname Jessie, short for Janet (meaning "God's gracious gift") or Jean (meaning "God is gracious").
Name Origin: Jessica
Jessica first appears in literature in William Shakespeare's play "The Merchant of Venice". It is probable that he took the name from the biblical "Iscah", which would have been spelled with a "J" in Shakespeare's time.
Shakespeare's Jessica is the daughter of Shylock. She is a young Jew who elopes with Lorenzo and converts to Christianity.
 | Amazon Price: $0.99 |
Nicknames for Jessica
Jessie, Jess, Jessi, Jessy, Jessa, Jessee
Famous Jessicas
Jessica Simpson - American singer born 1980
Jessica Alba - American actress born 1981
Jessica Tandy - British American actress - 1901-1994
Jessica Lange - American actress born 1949
Jessica Capshaw - American actress born 1976
Jessica Biel - American model and actress born 1982
Jessica Mitford - English journalist, political campaigner and author - 1917-1996
Sarah Jessica Parker - American actress and producer born 1965
Jessica - an oil tanker that spilled a cargo of oil off the Galapagos Islands in 2001
Jessica in Fiction
Jessica Fletcher - leading character of "Murder She Wrote"
Lady Jessica Atreides - character in Frank Herbert's novel "Dune"
Jessica - character in Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice"
Jessica Rabbit - animated character in the movie "Who Framed Roger Rabbit"
Jessica - a novel by Bryce Courtenay (made into a TV mini-series in 2004)
Jessica - 1962 movie starring Angie Dickinson and Maurice Chevalier
 | Amazon Price: $32.95 |
 | Amazon Price: $19.95 |
 | Amazon Price: $10.99 |
Jessica in Music
I guess I like my name wow I have never heard 'Jessa' being a nickname for a Jessica...I like Jessa :)
My name is Jessa. I do like it, its just very hard to find sometimes.
I would love to have the name Jessa! Its so pretty. and its true, It is hard to come by. I think though it is Hebrew for ''God'' Something or other. But im not sure.
Great article!
Hi My names Jessica, Jessica means gods grace
beauty wealth uniue and strong
My name is Jessica and I love it..it is beautiful just like me on the outside and inside:)
I agree! Jessica is a most beautiful name.
THATS MY NEW NICKNAME "JESSA"!
i love my name...........its the real me.........
Jessa(: well ahh that's pretty,
i'm sick of having 4 Jessica's in my class and calling them
Jess for short, but now Jessa` that's my new nick name !! thank's(:
Yes my name is jessica
I use 2 hate my name but now it it is AWSOME and I LOVE the name Jessa
I used to hate my name so everyone calls me Jesse but thats about to change!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love my name and yes it is Jessa not Jessica
i love name but it was so cool to her all the facts about my name and the nicknames like jessie,jessy,jessa but that is all i have to say. one more thing,i only like jessica and thats what everbody calls me. but there is this person in my classroom she has the same name as me and i hate how that had to happen. so bye jessica's.
I LOVE the name JESSICA!! geez i blame my ex that i still love after two yrs :D
yea. i hate my name. i alwayz have. my name is Jessica and i havent eva cum acrss anotger Jessica untill just kast school year.and ive always thought jessie was a preety lame name but now its stuck wit me. so ima have ta get use 2 it abd thats really sweet bout your ex...
my real name iz Jezzika i spell mine VERRY differently....
***********************************************************
I'm Jewish so this article seems pretty accurate to me :) I hate the name Jessie because it makes me feel like a boy. Ew
i like my name because i know whath the meaning means jessica ia a cool name
i love my name. i have a twin and her name is Julia, so that's cool that both our names start with j. But i really like the name Jessa! I think its so pretty. i want my friends to call me Jessa. Jessica means god's grace, and its Hebrew.
I don't mind my name but it gets annoying because there are so many people with the same name as me around my age. :(
I wish I could just tell someone I wanted my name to be something else and everyone would start calling me that. :(
I love the name Jessica it is my name but my mom has called me Jessa all my life and I call my self Jessie, Jezzi and Joob Joob
THATS SO COOL I NEVER KNEW THAT ABOUT MY NAME
hi my name is jessica and everybosy calls me jess i dont really like my name
The name is of Hebrew origin meaning "God is gracious" and could be an elaboration of Jessie, which derived from Jean, or Jane (a feminine form of John).
Yo!I didn't know any of this dudes!I prefer Jessie over Jessica and am called Jessie by just about everyone.For some reason though these to chicks call me Terrisa!Why do people have to call me such girly names?
Yes my name is Jessica, iv been looking up what it meens :)
i want to know the meeningss, as in powerfull, caring and all that, if you get me ? haha.
iv always thought my name is boring and common, but we all have our opinions :) ?
Hi my name is Jessica and I go by Jes. I always thought so many people had the same name as me and i wanted to be different. So i spell my name Jes. I LOVE the way the one person spells it Jezzika!
hmmm gift hu? tahts funny because my mom brought me home on her birthday, like a gift haha woww
My actual name is Jessica and i hate it with a passion.. it's what i get called when i'm in trouble.. but i get called millie because of my last name.. so atleast i know no-one else has my name when i get called millie, because everyone is called jess/jessica..
hmmm welll my names actually jessica but i noticed all the comments were jess, or jessa or jessica sooo yea :P and jessica meaning gift, or god or w.e is kinda cool :P i guess having such a common name like jessica isnt so bad lol
Holla jessicas my names JESSICA too but my family calls me JESi i like it that lol :)
Well, my name is not Jessica but I love that name a lot! It's so pretty and I didn't know that it meant God's Grace! I thought Grace meant that...
I don't like my name either I'd rather have like Jinnifer,or somthing..But I know that's the name my mom,and God gave me..It's still annoying though..lol..Jessa or jessie would be ok...Jessies more like a boys name though..idk. :)
my name is Jessica and i dont like it because irs a femine for Jesse but i cant do anything about it:( but i guess i'll have to get use to it Jessa is better :)
Omg never new any of this!!!!! my name is jessica but i don't really like it so alot of my friends call me EKA and my family used to call me jessy but that got old so now they call me ESSY. it's different. It's a nickname for my nickname! lol
My name is Jessica, I like my name but what I do not like is when people take it upon themselves to give me a nickname w/out my permission. I like this post....I like the nickname Jessa. Now if people would call me Jessa, I wouldn't have a problem when they cut my name off.
well, i've always had one or more jessica's in one of my classes. it gets really old, so everybody calls me by my nickname. but i really like the name Jessa :)
I love my name now. jessica=god's grace. love it!
i like the name its beautiful
I never not, not liked my name, but it was just waaaay too common. So I would try ways of spelling my name so it would be different in some way. Jessie is just as common so I was like eh, then Jesse (even though male version), but I never saw a JESSI and love it! Everyone always is like wow never seen it spelled that way. I am kind of out there lol so I like being different. Jesse is a nice name for a boy and Those who hate Jessica, could of been named worse like Gertrude lol. I think the dude who said he loved jessica is awesome lol. One downfall about Jessica's is the sterotype that they are ALL bi*ches. Some are, but that is wh any name, but my lil sis is always like see your name fits you bc your a bi*ch lol. And when someone is being rude or a bi*ch she says AND THEIR NAME WAS JESSICA go figure lol. ROCK ON JESSICA's, we rule, wether bi*ches or not lol.
my name is jessica I love my name
I have always liked me name.My mom said that when i wasn't born yet and she was desiding on names it was going to be stephanie or jessica and that one night she had a dream where i told her that my name was jessica,and wa-la my name is jessica.When i was little i hated being called jesse because it was a boys name.My best friend came up with calling me jess and i was ok with that and then she moved and for some reason people call me jess,and they never knew about what my best friend calles me.i like the name jezza but i don't consider that to be a sort version of jessica,it sounds to different but ti's kewl with the name meaning my name full means wealthy soldier it's kewl. ^_^ good luck jessica's
i like my name bt almost EVERY girl has iht.!!
i always found that my name is a little wierd but i think its definition is totally awsome. only a couple of girls have my name where i'm from though. Has anyone noticed that people get the name jennifer and jessica confused a lot, but all well. I guess after reading that story about my name i think its cooler. :-)
Yes I totally get called Jennifer a lot n I'm like Um no it's Jessica or Jessi, I hate that name Jennifer! I see a lot of ppl say they hate being called Jesse bc "a boys" name. Do they not now that Jesse is never spelled as a females name unless one wants it that way? Jesse has always been male and Jessie or Jess or in my case Jessi has always been female. Stop saying you hate being called a boys name when you're not, it's annoying! ;-)
wow there's soo many Jessica in the world and im one of them awesomme..i luv my namme... hi to all the Jessica's out there : )
i am a jessica and i like the name, i do get called jennifer sometimes and also jess or jessi. but i dont mind being called jessi because theirs a female and male version. i love my name
my name is je$$!ca im not so fond of my name :(
Growing up i was always called Jessee and we spelled it
That's a different spelling ... I've added it to the nicknames. Thanks Jessee :)
wow!!!!!;)
my name is jessica but i prefer 2 be called jess cause its snappier and people wont get confused but i LOVR the name jessa
In My Case ilove Being Called Jessie And Of Course Jessica ; iLike My Name But Then Again iDnt Bc So Many Girls Are Named Jessica ; But Its Not Hard To Pronounce And People Would Know How To Say It (: So Stop Hating On The Name Jessica Its Amazing
im 9 yrs. old i was named jessica
Hi my name is Jessica and i love, some people call me call me Jessi and Jess.Although i love my name there are too many people called Jessica, some even have my second name which by the way is Blossom. I have about four or five persons in my school named Jessica.
my name is Jessica and i ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!!!!! its a really common name though. but i got used to it after a while. my mom calls me Jess or Jessie.
my name is jessica ,some people call me jessi and jess
I also have the name jessica, when my brother was smaller he couldnt pronounce my name so it sounded like Jecca, and now my whole family calls me that.
Wow out of all the nick names for my name I've never heard JESSA I like it way better than all the otheres
jessica is my cousin...and trulii she is a gift from God. Her personalitii totalii fitz her name!!! luv ya jess!!!1
hey im jess and i am the best!! i zm definitely a gift from God and im glad that i am!!!
hi my names actually spelled JESSICCA sum people playingly stutter the c's...its ok bc i luv my name is unusaul and its spelt specail just for me.every "jessica" ive met is the coolest sweetest females ever,,LONG LIVE "JESSICA'S" LOL
I love the name Jessica I think its really sweet and there are so many ways to spell it and variations of nicknames. My best friend is called Grace and she likes to call me Jebb or Jebbica or Jellica.....I call her Grebb we sound really stupid but I kinda like the way it sounds..I like Jessa now as well!! No on eshould hate their name because it is something that can be the same as other peoples but each one of us adds a different twist to it :)
I love my name it is Jessica i have so many nicknames Jess,Jessie,
MY naMe His JESSICA AND I LOVE IT N IM GREATFUL TO HAVE A name LIKE Jessica :)
I did think that this name is so great until today after knowing that it means God's Grace.
Ewwie!!! Who would like the names jessa srry!!! But I love my name!! It's du bomb!!!! Ya !!!!lol
I love my name
i always had a man call me jerica differnt name but still cool i guess
When my younger sister was learning to talk she also would pronounce my name like "Jekka" so that is also a little nick name that stuck with me at home. I usually just go by Jessica but at times I'll hear Jess. I do have this small group of girlfriends that call me Jeddikah
My names jessica but my nickname is jess
JESSICA. i love my name..it's what i get called when i'm in trouble.. but i get called macky because of my 1st name.. so atleast i know no-one else has my name when i get called macky, because everyone is called jess,jessy,issy,jessa,jessica..continue thumps up who the one who like our names...
I love my name. Yes it is Jessica and we've been reasearching on our names today.
Finally i have the info cause i've been told to research this as a project and present this.Im going to faill.. XD
My name is spelled Yessika, I guess my mom was really druged up wen she signed my birth cir.... Or it could be that im half German An half Mexican. Who nows my daughter I spell her Name Izmonee.
The meaning of my name is the savior,God is looking,normal n peaceful child.I love my name, for the meaning keeps me going.and is the female name of JESUS.I LOVE IT.
my name is jessica, and i realy love it. although my best chemistry teacher used to cal me by a nick name JESSY. am proud of my name.JESSICA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
hiya i ove my name i wanna be called jessa now YAYA!!!!
fantastic artical thats really showing the meaning of my name BRAPPP BRAPPP BRAPP
OMG....!!!! i totally love jessica...jesse cute nick name...lolzzz
my name's Jessica, but i hate it with a passion, i've grown up being called Jess, and i i refuse to answer to my full name. People only call me Jessica when i'm in deep trouble.
But there are four other Jess's in my year and i hate being the same as everyone else, so this site is great because i've got some great ideas for some new nicknames now...
Thanks guys...
My name's Jessica Jean. My grandma calls me JessiJean, But most just call me Jessica.
i love my name i get called Jess, Jessi, Jessy and i like how many nick names i got it awsome
I hate having the name jessica .. I mean cool meanings behind it but ... Does no other jessica here find extremely irritating how many jessicas there are !? I hate having such an over used name
I LOVE MY NAME BECAUSE IT IS SO NICE. I DONT CARE HOW MANY JESSICAS ARE THERE IN THE WORLD,I JUST CARE THAT I AM ONE OF THEM.
Jessica is such a cul name..my name's Jessica...I wish my parents spelt it differently lyk Jesycah or Jezika.... I think Jessa is pretty cool...I hated my name before cuz every1 called me Jackie, Jennifer or Stephanie...others cudn't even pronounce it well but I love my name now cuz even though its old, it still sounds very modern...I thought Jessica meant wealthy.. JEssica's ROQ!!
My brother also cldnt pronounce my name, he'd say Jesc instead of Jessica XD my sisters would say Jess or sis. Parents call me Jess or Jessica, my bf says jess but he says Jessepoo alot too T_T what cooing name would there be for an Aaron?
I saw that Jessica meant "God's gracious gift". That's kind of funny because after my adoptive Mom's baby died 2 days after birth, my adoptive dad brought me home. My adoptive Mom said I was God's gift to her. :}
my little girl is a jessica. i tell her i want her to grow up smart and focused and kind. to be a jessica, not a yes-sica! lol
I love my name.
now i now what jessica means and its cool
we arnt all bi*chs u no duhh im sweet lol;)
i love my name!
cool i love meh name is it osome yea goooo JESSICA
my name is awesome i use to think it had a horrible meaning and not good pronunciation but by reading this it came across me, y would my parents call me this? when i scrolled itdown i saw its awesome meaning now i decided ekkkk this name is just the right name for me
hey a shout to ALL the JESSIKA'S out there or (jessica,jesssa,jessie,and many other nicknames for jessica) i want to tell u, if u REALLY REALLY hate ur name (only for the Jessica's out there)u shouldn't because well i mean LOOK at the meaning!!!!!!!!!!!
Gypsy Willow Level 5 Commenter 2 years ago
My goat was called Jessica,