Given name & surname
Jessa
“The Lord sees all”
Jessa is a variant of Jessica. One Hebrew interpretation is “The Lord sees all.” Its derivation is not certain.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Jessa is a variant of Jessica. One Hebrew interpretation is “The Lord sees all.” Its derivation is not certain.
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Jessa is a variant of Jessica. A possible origin is Hebrew, although the derivation remains uncertain.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1918. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Jessa is a variant of Jessica. The history of Jessica gives this family its wider story. Jessica is Shylock’s daughter in The Merchant of Venice. Shakespeare’s immediate inspiration is unknown, but the biblical spelling Jesca—corresponding to Iscah in Genesis 11:29—has been proposed as a starting point.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Jessa through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 6,467
- 5 boys · 6,462 girls
- Most popular year
- 2015
- 572 babies
- 2025
- 83
- #2,225 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −57%
- Cooling
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 83 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 2,225 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 56.9% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 572 in 2015. In 2025, Florida had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (11). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 5,700 as a first name in 2020; 108 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Jessa’s family of names
In English usage, Jessa is a diminutive of Jessica. Jessa has a related form in Jessica.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named Jessa
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Jessa, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Jesslyn
“The Lord sees all”
>99% girls
Jessalyn
“The Lord sees all”
>99% girls
Evvie
“giver of life; a lively woman” · “a birdlike woman”
>99% girls
Jessana
“The Lord sees all”
>99% girls
Jessickah
“The Lord sees all”
>99% girls
Jessaka
“The Lord sees all”
>99% girls
Lilah
“night” · “born at night”
>99% girls
Jezyka
“The Lord sees all”
>99% girls