Jessica
JESS-ih-kuh
A literary name linked to Jessie/Jessie and to the biblical name Jesse.
Meaning
In the 19th-century excerpts, Jessica is treated as a female name and probably as a diminutive of Jessie. Jessie is connected to Hebrew Jesse, with the sense given in the excerpt as “the Lord is” or “grace of the Lord,” depending on the source’s spelling and interpretation. The name Jessica itself is widely known from Shakespeare, but the excerpted books emphasize its relation to Jessie rather than a direct ancient biblical form.
Origin
EnglishHebrewfeminine
Fun fact
These older name books treat Jessica as a relatively modern feminine formation, not an old biblical name in its own right.
Confidence: mixed. Sources: History of Christian Names, Praenomina; or, the etymology of the principal Christian names of Great Britain and Ireland.