Girls' name · peaked in 1987
Jessica name popularity since 1925
1,053,284 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Jessica. Half of them were born in 1987 or earlier, so the typical Jessica is about 39 years old in 2026. Jessica peaked in 1987 as the #1 name for girls, and it ranked #665 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 1,053,284
- Named Jessica, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #665
- for girls in 2025 (424 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.7% girls
- 1,049,706 girls · 3,578 boys
- Most popular in
- Alaska
- 1.68× its national share
Peak year is the year Jessica made up the largest share of US girls, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Jessica births per year, 1925–2025
1987 was the biggest year for Jessica both by count and as a share of all babies.
- Fastest rise: Between 1969 and 1974, Jessica became 4.9× more common, from 1 in 677 baby girls to 1 in 138.
- Steepest fall: Between 2004 and 2009, its share of baby girls fell by 60%, from 1 in 194 to 1 in 483.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare Jessica's share of all US girls five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Jessica.
Decade by decade
Babies named Jessica in each decade, and its rank among girls' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 186 | 0 | – |
| 1930s | 499 | 0 | #1,008 |
| 1940s | 2,204 | 0 | #634 |
| 1950s | 4,559 | 0 | #459 |
| 1960s | 13,671 | 55 | #216 |
| 1970s | 143,492 | 528 | #13 |
| 1980s | 469,510 | 2,020 | #1 |
| 1990s | 303,136 | 769 | #1 |
| 2000s | 90,665 | 186 | #27 |
| 2010s | 18,227 | 20 | #206 |
| 2020–25 | 3,557 | 0 | #665 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 girls that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
65.1% of babies named Jessica from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Millennial years (1981–1996). The full split by generation:
Where Jessica is most popular
The index compares Jessica's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Jessica.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 1.68× | 2,651 |
| New Hampshire | 1.45× | 4,841 |
| Nevada | 1.42× | 5,372 |
| Vermont | 1.37× | 2,421 |
| Wyoming | 1.34× | 1,928 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Jessica and were given to at least 1,000 girls from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Girls | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Jessica (this page) | 1,049,706 | 1987 |
| Jessika | 5,969 | 1990 |
| Jesica | 4,720 | 1987 |
| Jesseca | 1,498 | 1986 |
| Jessyca | 1,280 | 1996 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 499 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Jessica's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Jessica.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Jessica (1987).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data