Jessica [ jes-i-kuh ] is a female given name. The name first appeared as the name of a character in the Shakespearean play The Merchant of Venice. Common nicknames of the name include "Jess" and "Jessie". The name Jessica comes from a Hebrew name, Yiskah, which means "to see" or "to gaze upon." Yiskah was the name of a character in the Bible who was Haran's daughter, Abraham's brother. She was famous for being beautiful and inspired the name Jessica. view more...