Jessica is a female name of Hebrew origin. It means "God sees" or "God beholds". The name Jessica is derived from the male name Jesse, which was borne by King David's father in the Bible. In the Old Testament, it is said that God saw and heard the cries of the Israelites during their slavery in Egypt, hence the meaning of the name.
The name Jessica became popular in the English-speaking world after William Shakespeare used it in his play "The Merchant of Venice". In this play, Jessica is the daughter of Shylock, a Jewish merchant. Although she is not a main character, her role in the play helped to bring attention to the name and contributed to its popularity.
Today, Jessica remains a popular name for girls around the world. It has been consistently ranked among the top 100 baby names in the United States since the 1980s. While it is most commonly used in English-speaking countries, variations of the name can be found in other languages as well, such as Jessika in German or Xuxa in Portuguese.
In summary, Jessica is a female name with Hebrew origins that means "God sees". Its popularity can be traced back to Shakespeare's use of the name in his play "The Merchant of Venice", and it remains a popular choice for girls today.
"The popularity of the name Jessica seemed to peak between 1985 and 1987, with a significant increase from 18 births in 1985 to 21 in 1987. However, there's an unexplained gap in these statistics for the year 1989."