Origins

• The oldest written record of the name with its current spelling is found as the name of a character in Shakespeare's play The Merchant of Venice, where it belongs to the daughter of Shylock. The name may have been an Anglicisation of the Biblical Iskah (from the Hebrew: יִסְכָּה : yiskāh), the name of a daughter of Haran briefly mentioned in the Book of Genesis in the Bible. Iskah was rendered "Jeska" in English Bibles available in Shakespeare's day.
• The original Hebrew name Yiskāh (יִסְכָּה), means "foresight", or being able to see the potential in the future. The Hebrew root sakhah (ס.כ.ה) means "to see," so the name Yiskah, with the added yod, implies foresight or clairvoyance.

Fictional characters:

• Jeshika of Familiar of Zero
• Jessica of the 1971 cult horror film Let's Scare Jessica to Death
• Jessica 6, the leading lady in the movie Logan's Run
• Jessica Albert, from the Dragon Quest VIII video game
• Lady Jessica, from Frank Herbert's Dune universe
• Jessica Bennett, from the soap opera Passions
• Jessica Buchanan, from the soap opera One Life to Live
• Jessica Drew, the original Spider Woman
• Jessica Fletcher, a novelist and the protagonist of Murder, She Wrote
• Jessica Jones, from the Marvel Comics series Alias
• Jessica Rabbit, from Who Framed Roger Rabbit
• Jessica Sanders of the television series Heroes
• Jessica Wakefield from the Sweet Valley book series
• Jessica Ushiromiya, a character in the visual novel, manga and anime series, Umineko no Naku Koro ni

People:

• Jessica Abel (born 1969), American comic book writer and artist
• Jessica Alba (born 1981), American television and film actress
• Jessica Biel (born 1982), American actress and former model
• Jessica Burciaga (born 1983), American model
• Jessica Caban (born 1982), American model, dancer and actress
• Jessica Drake (born 1974), American pornographic actress
• Jessica DiCicco (born 1980), American actress
• Jessica Gomes (born 1985), Australian model
• Jessica Harp (born 1982), American country singer-songwriter and guitarist
• Jessica Honor Carleton (born 1983), American entertainer and one of the stars in Green Screen Adventures
• Jessica Hynes (born 1972), British actress, writer and comedienne
• Jessica Jung (born 1989), US-born Korean pop singer, member of Girls' Generation
• Jessica Kirkland (born 1987), American tennis player
• Jessica Lange (born 1949), American actress
• Jessica Lowndes (born 1988), American actress and singer-songwriter
• Jessica Mauboy (born 1989), Australian singer
• Jessica Mitford (1917-1996), Anglo-American writer
• Jessica Moore (born 1967), Italian actress
• Jessica Moore (born 1990), Australian tennis player
• Jessica Moore (born 1982), American basketball player in WNBA for the Indiana Fever
• Jessica Origliasso (born 1984), Australian musician, member of The Veronicas
• Jessica Lee Rose (born 1987), American actress
• Jessica Simpson (born 1980), American pop singer and actress
• Jessica Stam (born 1986), Canadian model
• Jessica Steck (born 1978), South African tennis player
• Jessica Steinhauser (known as Asia Carrera, born 1973), American former pornographic actress
• Jessica Stroup (born 1986), American actress and model
• Jessica Sutta (born 1982), American dancer and singer, member of Pussycat Dolls
• Jessica Szohr (born 1985), American actress
• Jessica Tandy (1909-1994), British-American actress
• Jessica Taylor (born 1980), English singer, former member of Liberty X
• Jessica Thalman (born 1987), NCAA soccer goalie, former member of Gonzaga University
• Jessica Walter (born 1941), American actress
• Jessica Savitch (1947-1983), American TV News Reporter
• Jessica Fodera (Jessicka, born 1975 ), American musician and artist, singer of Scarling and formerly of Jack Off Jill

Name variations and nicknames

• Jes, Jess, Jessa, Jessie, Jessy, Jeska, Jessika, Jessicka, Jessyka, Yessika, Yesika, Jazz, Jase. Also in many Asian countries Jessica is spelled Jassica.
• Catalan: Jèssica
• Hebrew: Yiskah (יִסְכָּה)
• Hungarian: Dzsesszika
• Japanese: Jeshika (Hiragana: じぇしか, Katakana: ジェッシカ)
• Polish: Dżesika, Jesica
• Russian: Джессика
• Spanish: Yéssica, Jéssica