Total births
1,050,729
Girls' name · since 1880
Jessica
1,050,729 babies named Jessica in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1987. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #575
- among girls today
- 1,050,729
- born since 1880
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Jessica is the #575 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 1,050,729 recorded since 1880.
Jessica has 1,050,729 recorded births among girls since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #575 as of the latest data, more common than 97% of girls, busiest in the 1980s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #575 among girls today
- 1,050,729 born since 1880
- 1980s peak decade
- 97% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Jessica is currently the #575 girls' name in America, more common than 97% of girls - 1,050,729 born since 1880, peaking in the 1980s.
- #575
- among girls today
- 1,050,729
- born since 1880
- 1980s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other girls
Jessica vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#575
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 97% of names given to girls today.
1980s
Peak decade
45% of everyone ever named Jessica was born in this single decade.
1987
Single peak year
55,992 babies were named Jessica in 1987 - its busiest year on record.
How Jessica compares
1,050,729 Top 0% higher than 100% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Jessica's all-time total is 2,751x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Jessica | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,050,729 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 55,992 | 48 | 19,840 |
Jessica's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Jessica's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 100% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 0%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1883, with only 6 births recorded -- set against the 1987 peak of 55,992, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Jessica at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
1987
Current rank
#575
Active since
1880
Jessica popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1987)
- 55,992
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Jessica popularity over time - boys
3,578 total births recorded since 1963 (Jessica as boys' name)
Jessica by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1980s was Jessica's strongest decade.
469,510 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 45% of all-time use.
Jessica births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 94
1880s
94 births
- 1890s 135
1890s
135 births
- 1900s 159
1900s
159 births
- 1910s 411
1910s
411 births
- 1920s 410
1920s
410 births
- 1930s 499
1930s
499 births
- 1940s 2,204
1940s
2,204 births
- 1950s 4,559
1950s
4,559 births
- 1960s 13,671
1960s
13,671 births
- 1970s 143,492
1970s
143,492 births
- 1980s
1980s
469,510 births
- 1990s
1990s
303,136 births
- 2000s 90,665
2000s
90,665 births
- 2010s 18,227
2010s
18,227 births
- 2020s 3,557
2020s
3,557 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 469,510 births (45% of all-time use).
How Jessica compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Jessica's total volume
Jessica vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Jessica by state
Where Jessica concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 136,185 | 13.0% |
| #2 | Texas | | 79,576 | 7.6% |
| #3 | New York | | 75,326 | 7.2% |
| #4 | Florida | | 47,219 | 4.5% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 46,670 | 4.4% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 45,522 | 4.3% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 45,370 | 4.3% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 37,875 | 3.6% |
California share of Jessica's total US births 13.0%
Even split
136,185 of 1,050,729 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Jessica appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Jessica? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 1,050,729 babies named Jessica. Today it holds rank #575 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1987, with 55,992 births.
When was Jessica most popular? ▼
Jessica was most popular in the 1980s decade with 469,510 total births. The single peak year was 1987.
Where is Jessica most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Jessica are California (136,185 births), Texas (79,576 births), New York (75,326 births).
How long has the name Jessica been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Jessica since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Jessica? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Jessie, Jesse, Jessi, Jessa, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Jessica's data
- Jessica's decade-level peak was the 1980s (469,510 total births); usage has since declined to 3,557 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Jessicas (136,185 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Jessica
Nearby Names Like Jessica
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Jessica
Jessie Girl
#807 170,036 births
Jesse Girl
#2466 12,492 births
Jessi Girl
#3247 6,553 births
Jessa Girl
#2033 6,462 births
Jessika Girl
#15687 5,969 births
Compare Jessica side by side: Jessica vs Jessie Jessica vs Jesse Jessica vs Jessi
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Jessica
Emelia #574
14,028 births · Peak 2019
Katie #576
241,285 births · Peak 1986
Capri #573
6,436 births · Peak 2025
Gabrielle #577
138,782 births · Peak 1998
Halle #572
16,651 births · Peak 2002
Alejandra #578
54,015 births · Peak 1994
Monroe #571
7,266 births · Peak 2025
Della #579
70,810 births · Peak 1917
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Jessica: #575 Girls' Name - 1,050,729 Births, Peak 1987." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/jessica. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Jessica draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.