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Summary
- No one named Jessica appears in the Bible.
- The name is first recorded in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, written in the late 1590s, as the name of Shylock’s daughter, who becomes a Christian.
- Shakespeare probably formed it from Iscah, Abraham’s niece, whose name English Bibles of his day spelled Jescha, Iisca or Iesca (Genesis 11:29).
- Iscah is usually explained as “to behold” or “to watch”; the Talmud identifies her with Sarah (Megillah 14a).
- The meanings “God beholds” and “wealthy” have no basis in the Hebrew.
- Jessica was the most popular name for American girls from 1985 to 1990 and from 1993 to 1995.
Bibliography (Click to show)
- Behind the Name, “Jessica,” “Iscah” and “Ashley,” with United States popularity figures from Social Security Administration data. https://www.behindthename.com/name/jessica
- “Jessica (given name),” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_(given_name)
- “Jessica (The Merchant of Venice),” Wikipedia, on the character and the First Folio spelling. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_(The_Merchant_of_Venice)
- “Iscah,” Wikipedia, on the spellings in early English Bibles and on rabbinic interpretation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iscah
- Babylonian Talmud, Megillah 14a, William Davidson Edition, Sefaria. https://www.sefaria.org/Megillah.14a
- Blue Letter Bible, Strong’s H3252 (Yiskah). https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h3252/kjv/wlc/0-1/
- Nominis, Église catholique en France, “Jessica.” https://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/prenom/4139/Jessica.html
- Scripture quotation: Genesis 11:29, English Standard Version. Reference: Genesis 11:27.
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