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Jessika

♀ Girl

Pronounced JESS-ih-kuh /ˈdʒɛs.ɪ.kə/High

Meaning: A respelling of Jessica, which first appears in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice as the name of Shylock's daughter. Shakespeare is generally thought to have adapted a biblical name - Iscah, from Genesis, sometimes rendered Jesca - meaning it is a literary coinage on a Hebrew base.Medium

In 30 seconds: A respelling of Jessica, the name Shakespeare invented for Shylock's daughter (said 'JESS-ih-kuh').

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Origin MediumEnglish, Hebrew

MeaningA respelling of Jessica, which first appears in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice as the name of Shylock's daughter. Shakespeare is generally thought to have adapted a biblical name - Iscah, from Genesis, sometimes rendered Jesca - meaning it is a literary coinage on a Hebrew base.

U.S. rank (2024)#16288 ↘ Falling

2024 U.S. births5 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)

Peak year1990

Total births (all-time)≈ 5,961

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Jessika is a k-spelling of Jessica. The name is first recorded in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, where Jessica is Shylock's daughter, and scholars generally read it as his reshaping of the biblical Iscah - a niece of Abraham in Genesis, whose name appears in some early English Bibles as Jesca. Jessica became one of the great American names of the nineteen-eighties, and spellings like Jessika followed in its wake (said 'JESS-ih-kuh').

It appears only in very small numbers against the commoner Jessica. Rare, familiar in sound, and modern in spelling.

Did you know? Jessica appears to have been invented by Shakespeare for The Merchant of Venice, most likely reshaped from the biblical Iscah - which makes it one of the very few names with a datable author.

Overall data confidence 50%

References - Jessika — Jessica first in Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice; likely from biblical Iscah/Jesca

Variations

JessicaJesicaJessyka

Nicknames

JessSika

Famous Bearers

Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Jessika…

Jessica— the standard spelling it reworks

Jesse— a like Hebrew-rooted J- name

Jenna— a like two-beat J- pick

Annika— the same literary feel

Julliette— another English name

Explore names like Jessika

By themeenglish literary spelling-variant shakespeare

By meaningSnow / Winter

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Jessika mean?

Jessika respells Jessica, first recorded in The Merchant of Venice and generally read as Shakespeare's reshaping of Iscah.

How do you pronounce Jessika?

It's said JESS-ih-kuh /ˈdʒɛs.ɪ.kə/ - three syllables, stress on the first.

Is Jessika a boy or girl name?

Jessika is used as a girl's name.

How popular is Jessika?

Jessika is extremely rare in the U.S.