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BabyNames
Girl name#14 of girl names

Jessica

Pronounced JH EH1 S IH0 K AH0 (ARPABET)

  • 3 syllables
  • Peaked 1987
  • 145 years in use
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How popular is Jessica?

Jessica is a girls' name, and has been in the record since the data starts in 1880. It has been given to 1,054,268 children — the 14th most common girls' name on record.

It is falling away, down 77% on the previous decade. Its best single year was 1987, when 55,996 children were given it.

025,00050,00075,000100,00018901920195019802010
1987Girls: 55,996Boys: 243

Characteristics

  • 3 syllables
Phonetic detail
Pronunciations:
JH EH1 S IH0 K AH0
Stress pattern:
100
Syllables:
3

Stress digits mark unstressed (0), primary (1) and secondary (2) syllables.

Names like Jessica

Same first letter and syllable count, peaking around the same time.

Sibling names for Jessica

Names from the same era with a matching rhythm but a different initial.

Frequently asked questions

How popular is the name Jessica?
Jessica ranks 14th among girls' names in US records, with 1,054,268 births since 1880. Over the past decade it accounts for 9,440.
Is Jessica a unisex name?
No. Jessica is recorded almost entirely as a girls' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.
When was Jessica most popular?
1987, when 55,996 children were given the name. It has been in use for 145 years and is still recorded as of 2024.