Jessa
Girl name · #2223 in 2025 · Very rare
Jessa is currently the #2223 girl name in the United States — 83 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #544, so the name has been falling over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 21,687 girls born in 2025 was named Jessa.
The 107-year story
Jessa first appears in the Social Security records in 1918, when 5 girls received the name. Its peak came in 2015, when 572 girls were named Jessa — good for #544 that year. Today's parents encounter it on its way down the popularity curve, which for many parents is exactly the appeal. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Jessa per year. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Jessa against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Jessa in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Jessa is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "very rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Jessa will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Jessa is most common
State-level data for Jessa is too sparse in 2025 to rank by rate — in most states its count falls below the SSA's per-state reporting threshold (counts under 5 are withheld).
Names like Jessa
Statistically, parents drawn to Jessa tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Nessa, Alessa, Janessa, Jaina, and Layna.
NessaAlessaJanessaJainaLaynaNavyaMearaJanyla
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Jessa | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 83 | #2214 |
| 2024 | 96 | #2033 |
| 2023 | 99 | #1984 |
| 2022 | 122 | #1710 |
| 2021 | 179 | #1284 |
| 2020 | 167 | #1318 |
| 2019 | 187 | #1247 |
| 2018 | 242 | #1057 |
| 2017 | 314 | #870 |
| 2016 | 433 | #675 |
| 2015 | 572 | #544 |
| 2014 | 332 | #834 |
| 2013 | 208 | #1152 |
| 2012 | 255 | #988 |
| 2011 | 222 | #1111 |
| 2010 | 242 | #1030 |
| 2009 | 196 | #1254 |
| 2008 | 124 | #1774 |
| 2007 | 145 | #1560 |
| 2006 | 138 | #1567 |
| 2005 | 90 | #2073 |
| 2004 | 116 | #1667 |
| 2003 | 92 | #1970 |
| 2002 | 78 | #2142 |
| 2001 | 98 | #1807 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Jessa a popular girl name?
Jessa ranked #2223 among girls in 2025 with 83 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #544.
When was the name Jessa most popular?
Jessa peaked in 2015, when 572 American girls received the name (ranked #544 that year). Since 2015 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Jessa?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 21,687 newborn American girls was named Jessa. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "very rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.