How popular is the baby name Jessica in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Jessica.

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Popularity of the baby name Jessica


Posts that mention the name Jessica

What turned Torrance into a girl name (briefly) in the early 2000s?

The character Torrance Shipman from the movie "Bring It On" (2000)
Torrance Shipman from “Bring It On“

According to the U.S. baby name data, the name Torrance — which has been given to baby boys regularly since the 1950s — was suddenly given to dozens of baby girls in 2001:

Girls named TorranceBoys named Torrance
20036253
200273†41
20014051
2000.39
1999.43
†Peak usage

Why?

Because of fictional cheerleader Torrance Shipman from the teen comedy Bring It On, released in August of 2000.

In the movie, San Diego high school senior Torrance (played by Kirsten Dunst) is the new captain of the Rancho Carne Toros cheerleading squad (whose members were predominantly white). The Toros are the long-reigning national champions, and Torrance is ready to lead the team to victory yet again.

Then she discovers that the previous cheer captain stole the Toros’ best routines from the East Compton Clovers (whose members were predominantly Black). Torrance will need to come up with a brand new cheer routine for the Toros in time to compete — against the Clovers themselves — at Nationals.

Jessica Bendinger, who wrote the movie’s screenplay, described Bring It On as “socioeconomic inequality and cultural appropriation in cheerleading skirts.”

So where did Torrance Shipman’s unusual first name come from? Likely from the city of Torrance in Los Angeles County. (Whittier, another city in LA County, was used as the name of the protagonist in Bring It On Again, the movie’s first direct-to-TV sequel.) The city of Torrance was founded in the early 20th century by real estate developer Jared Sidney Torrance.

What are your thoughts on the name Torrance? Do you like it better as a girl name, or as a boy name?

P.S. Earlier the same year, Kirsten Dunst starred as Lux in The Virgin Suicides…

Sources:

Image: Screenshot of Bring It On

Popular baby names in Scotland (UK), 2024

Flag of the United Kingdom
Flag of the United Kingdom

Last year, the country of Scotland — which takes up the northern third of Great Britain — welcomed 45,779 babies.

What were the most popular names among these babies? Olivia and Noah.

Here are Scotland’s top 50 girl names and top 50 boy names of 2024:

Girl names

  1. Olivia, 266 baby girls
  2. Isla, 264
  3. Freya, 244
  4. Lily, 231
  5. Millie, 222
  6. Sophia, 214
  7. Amelia, 198 (tie)
  8. Emily, 198 (tie)
  9. Ella, 195
  10. Charlotte, 191
  11. Ava, 188 (tie)
  12. Bonnie, 188 (tie)
  13. Grace, 183
  14. Evie, 180 (tie)
  15. Ivy, 180 (tie)
  16. Rosie, 167
  17. Sophie, 164
  18. Maisie, 161
  19. Maya, 159 (tie)
  20. Orla, 159 (tie)
  21. Harper, 149
  22. Sofia, 147
  23. Aria, 142
  24. Poppy, 135
  25. Maeve, 129
  26. Mia, 126
  27. Daisy, 123
  28. Lucy, 113
  29. Willow, 106
  30. Mila, 105
  31. Elsie, 104 (tie)
  32. Hallie, 104 (tie)
  33. Esme, 102
  34. Ruby, 100
  35. Ellie, 99
  36. Zara, 98
  37. Lottie, 97
  38. Eilidh, 91 – pronounced EH-lee
  39. Ayla, 90 (tie)
  40. Chloe, 90 (tie)
  41. Layla, 89 (3-way tie)
  42. Sienna, 89 (3-way tie)
  43. Violet, 89 (3-way tie)
  44. Ada, 87
  45. Skye, 83
  46. Phoebe, 82
  47. Callie, 81
  48. Jessica, 80 (tie)
  49. Robyn, 80 (tie)
  50. Isabella, 79

Boy names

  1. Noah, 366 baby boys
  2. Muhammad, 293
  3. Rory, 275
  4. Theo, 270
  5. Leo, 260
  6. Luca, 255
  7. Jack, 247 (tie)
  8. Oliver, 247 (tie)
  9. Harris, 243
  10. Archie, 228
  11. Finlay, 220
  12. Alexander, 208 (tie)
  13. Jude, 208 (tie)
  14. James, 203
  15. Alfie, 196
  16. Brodie, 195
  17. Finn, 190
  18. Arlo, 177
  19. Charlie, 159
  20. Thomas, 154 (tie)
  21. Tommy, 154 (tie)
  22. Oscar, 151
  23. Lucas, 147
  24. Arthur, 145
  25. Freddie, 144 (tie)
  26. Mason, 144 (tie)
  27. Jacob, 141
  28. Lewis, 136
  29. Logan, 132 (tie)
  30. Max, 132 (tie)
  31. Harry, 124
  32. Albie, 123
  33. Cameron, 117
  34. Ollie, 116
  35. Myles, 111
  36. Callan, 108 (tie)
  37. Theodore, 108 (tie)
  38. Angus, 106 (tie)
  39. Reuben, 106 (tie)
  40. Harrison, 105
  41. Blake, 102
  42. Adam, 101 (tie)
  43. Caleb, 101 (tie)
  44. Sonny, 100
  45. Louie, 99
  46. Roman, 98
  47. Liam, 93
  48. George, 91
  49. Isaac, 90
  50. Luke, 89

Muhammad, which entered the boys’ top 100 in 2008, jumped from 11th to 2nd place.

And the bonny name Bonnie, which entered the girls’ top 100 in 2018, now sits just outside the top 10.

Last year’s fastest-rising girl names already in the top 100 were Violet, Arabella, Myla, and Chloe, while the fastest-rising girl names entering the top 100 for the first time were Eliza, Romy, and Nora.

The fastest-rising boy names already in the top 100 were Myles, Callan, Ruairidh, and Lochlan, while the fastest-rising boy name entering the top 100 for the first time was Reggie.

Una and Ernie, two of the top names in the Scottish archipelago of Orkney, were given to 19 baby girls and six baby boys (respectively) nation-wide.

Here’s a selection of the names that were given to just three babies each in Scotland last year:

Rare girl namesRare boy names
Aizal, Beira, Ceilidh, Davina, Este, Fleur, Greta, Hadley, Ines, Jemimah, Kassie, Lavinia, Merida, Nicola, Opal, Peach, Roxy, Safiyyah, Tully, Verity, Yuna, ZarishArgyll, Bruce, Cobi, Derek, Ernest, Frazer, Graham, Harbaaz, Innis, Justin, Korey, Lawrie, Malachi, Niven, Orran, Percy, Rui, Somhairle, Thorfinn, Uzair, Wilder, Zahir

Beira is a modern Scottish name for the Gaelic mythological figure Cailleach, and Innis is a Scottish Gaelic word meaning “small island, islet.”

(I can’t give you the usual sampling of Scotland’s single-use names because, as of 2024, the country has decided to stop releasing names given to fewer than three babies. The news release noted that “the exclusion of the names given to one or two babies is consistent with policies in England and Wales and Northern Ireland.”)

Finally, here are Scotland’s 2023 rankings, if you’d like to compare last year to the year before.

Sources:

Image: Adapted from Flag of the United Kingdom (public domain)

Popular baby names in Colorado, 1997

Flag of Colorado
Flag of Colorado

Back in 1997, the western U.S. state of Colorado welcomed 56,505 babies.

What were the most popular names among these babies? Hannah and Jacob, according to data from the Health Statistics Section of Colorado’s Department of Public Health and Environment.

The state also revealed the top names within each of its three largest racial/ethnic groups, which it defined as “White/non-Hispanic,” “White/Hispanic,” and “Black.”

Number of babiesTop girl nameTop boy name
White/non-Hispanic38,729 (69%)HannahJacob
White/Hispanic12,951 (23%)JessicaJose
Black2,582 (5%)JasmineIsaiah

Here are Colorado’s top 50 girl names (overall) and top 50 boy names (overall) of 1997:

Girl names

  1. Hannah
  2. Emily
  3. Jessica
  4. Sarah
  5. Madison
  6. Samantha
  7. Taylor
  8. Alexandra
  9. Ashley
  10. Megan
  11. Elizabeth
  12. Rachel
  13. Alyssa
  14. Alexis
  15. Lauren
  16. Emma
  17. Kayla
  18. Morgan
  19. Amanda
  20. Brianna
  21. Jennifer
  22. Jordan
  23. Abigail
  24. Victoria
  25. Nicole
  26. Brittany
  27. Rebecca
  28. Danielle
  29. Katherine
  30. Sierra
  31. Anna
  32. Mariah
  33. Olivia
  34. Amber
  35. Sydney
  36. Stephanie
  37. Jasmine
  38. Brooke
  39. Haley
  40. Maria
  41. Kaitlyn
  42. Gabrielle
  43. Savannah
  44. Allison
  45. Marissa
  46. Bailey
  47. Courtney
  48. Sara
  49. Erin
  50. Mackenzie

Boy names

  1. Jacob
  2. Michael
  3. Matthew
  4. Joshua
  5. Austin
  6. Tyler
  7. Andrew
  8. Christopher
  9. Nicholas
  10. Brandon
  11. Daniel
  12. Ryan
  13. Joseph
  14. Zachary
  15. David
  16. Alexander
  17. Anthony
  18. John
  19. James
  20. Benjamin
  21. Kyle
  22. Samuel
  23. William
  24. Justin
  25. Jonathan
  26. Dylan
  27. Christian
  28. Jordan
  29. Cody
  30. Robert
  31. Nathan
  32. Aaron
  33. Thomas
  34. Eric
  35. Connor
  36. Cameron
  37. Jose
  38. Noah
  39. Adam
  40. Logan
  41. Isaiah
  42. Sean
  43. Gabriel
  44. Caleb
  45. Jack
  46. Cole
  47. Kevin
  48. Trevor
  49. Ethan
  50. Ian

How do these rankings stack up against the U.S. Social Security Administration’s 1997 rankings for Colorado?

The boy names look similar, but there are two significant discrepancies among the girl names: Alexandra ranked 11 spots lower (19th vs. 8th) and Gabrielle ranked 33 spots lower (75th vs. 42nd) on the federal government’s list.

Other names bestowed in Colorado in 1997 included “Elway, Jamaica, and Mars for baby boys, and October, November, Paradise, and Rejoice for baby girls.”

Elway was no doubt inspired by John Elway, the longtime Denver Broncos quarterback who was about to lead the team to its first Super Bowl victory (in January of 1998).

Speaking of Colorado baby names with historical significance…here are posts about Denver (b. 1859), Colorado (b. 1859), Salida (b. 1881), and Silver Dollar (b. 1889).

Source: Birth Statistics Summary 1997 – Colorado Health and Environmental Data (pdf)

Image: Adapted from Flag of Colorado (public domain)

Popular and unique baby names in Scotland (UK), 2023

Flag of the United Kingdom
Flag of the United Kingdom

Last year, the country of Scotland — which covers the northern third of the island of Great Britain — welcomed nearly 46,000 babies.

What were the most popular names among these babies? Isla and Luca.

Here are Scotland’s top 50+ girl names and top 50+ boy names of 2023:

Girl names

  1. Isla, 274 baby girls
  2. Olivia, 266
  3. Freya, 254
  4. Emily, 232
  5. Amelia, 225
  6. Ella, 213
  7. Charlotte, 210
  8. Millie, 206
  9. Grace, 205
  10. Ava, 203
  11. Lily, 201
  12. Aria, 190
  13. Sophie, 189
  14. Orla, 173
  15. Maisie, 166
  16. Sophia, 164
  17. Rosie, 155
  18. Ivy, 149
  19. Evie, 146
  20. Lucy, 141
  21. Sofia, 140
  22. Harper, 139
  23. Willow, 138
  24. Bonnie, 128
  25. Jessica, 123
  26. Eilidh, 122 [tie]
  27. Ellie, 122 [tie]
  28. Maya, 119
  29. Mia, 118
  30. Daisy, 117
  31. Elsie, 116
  32. Poppy, 115
  33. Esme, 114
  34. Hallie, 111 [tie]
  35. Zara, 111 [tie]
  36. Ruby, 107
  37. Mila, 102
  38. Isabella, 101
  39. Anna, 96 [tie]
  40. Maeve, 96 [tie]
  41. Lottie, 95
  42. Robyn 92
  43. Emma, 90 [2-way tie]
  44. Georgia, 90 [2-way tie]
  45. Ada, 88 [2-way tie]
  46. Phoebe, 88 [2-way tie]
  47. Erin, 85 [2-way tie]
  48. Sienna, 85 [2-way tie]
  49. Layla, 84
  50. Eva, 80 [tie]
  51. Gracie, 80 [tie]

Boy names

  1. Luca, 344 baby boys
  2. Noah, 336
  3. Leo, 288
  4. Jack, 285
  5. Harris, 266
  6. Rory, 254
  7. Oliver, 250
  8. Theo, 238
  9. Archie, 235
  10. Finlay, 231
  11. Muhammad, 225
  12. James, 223
  13. Brodie, 220 [tie]
  14. Finn, 220 [tie]
  15. Alexander, 214
  16. Thomas, 195
  17. Jude, 193
  18. Lucas, 186
  19. Alfie, 182
  20. Lewis, 180
  21. Freddie, 172
  22. Arlo, 164
  23. Max, 155
  24. Charlie, 151
  25. Tommy, 149
  26. Arthur, 147
  27. Mason, 143
  28. Oscar, 139
  29. Logan, 134
  30. Blake, 129
  31. Sonny, 127
  32. Kai, 122
  33. Roman, 121
  34. Caleb, 120 [3-way tie]
  35. Cameron, 120 [3-way tie]
  36. Harrison, 120 [3-way tie]
  37. Adam, 118 [tie]
  38. Jacob, 118 [tie]
  39. Louie, 111
  40. Ethan, 110
  41. Ollie, 108
  42. Harry, 106
  43. Reuben, 104
  44. Albie, 103 [2-way tie]
  45. Angus, 103 [2-way tie]
  46. Daniel, 102 [2-way tie]
  47. Liam, 102 [2-way tie]
  48. Hudson, 100
  49. Aaron, 98
  50. Arran, 95 [tie] – likely inspired by Scotland’s Isle of Arran.
    • The similar names Aaron and Arran have been neck and neck for several years in a row.
  51. Carter, 95 [tie]

The fastest-rising names in the girls’ top 100 were Mabel, Delilah, Mollie, and Lottie.

The fastest-rising names in the boys’ top 100 were Oakley, Rowan, Ruairidh, and Muhammad.

And what about the names at the other end of the spectrum? Here’s a selection of the baby names that were bestowed just once in Scotland last year:

Unique girl namesUnique boy names
Angharad, Babel, Camellia, Doileag, Ellerby, Fenn, Griva, Hubavena, Iris-Davinia, Jafina, Kinvara, Linamandla, Mhuilinn, Neven, Orlie, Pollaidh, Quinza, Rhumer, Senga, Tweedie, Uxia, Vhairi, Welwitschia, Xiwei, Yolandra, ZarminaAonghas, Brandonlee, Caoimhin-Caolan, Dubhlainn, Excellent, Fragkiskos, Gibby, Howl, Ivaylo, Jophil, Kenai, Lavish, Malverde, Oakes, Padruig, Quinlann, Riordan, Seocaidh, Talorcan, Ultan, Venkata, Wullie, Xabier, Yuan, Zuriel

Possible explanations/associations for several of the above:

  • Pollaidh comes from the name of the Scottish mountain Stac Pollaidh (pronounced “stack polly”). The Scottish name is based on the Norse name for the mountain, Stakkr Pollå, which means “the pinnacle of the pool river.”
  • Senga could be Agnes backwards…or it could be based on the Scottish word seang, meaning “slender.” (Here’s a post about Scotland’s Senga syndrome.)
  • Talorcan is a Pictish name that belonged to several Pictish kings. It’s often spelled Talorgan.
  • Welwitschia (pronounced vel-VIH-chee-uh) is the name of a genus of plants that includes a single species, Welwitschia mirabilis, endemic to the Namib desert in Africa. The genus was named after Austrian physician/botanist Friedrich Welwitsch (1806-1872).

Here’s what Welwitschia mirabilis — often referred to as a “living fossil” — looks like:

Welwitschia mirabilis
Welwitschia mirabilis

(I haven’t been this fascinated by a science-y baby name since Petrichor popped up in Alberta in 2016!)

Finally, here are Scotland’s 2022 rankings, if you’d like to compare last year to the year before.

Sources:

Images: