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Jessica’s Link to Shakespeare and the Biblical Name Iscah

By Emma Davies

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Jessica appears in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice as the name of Shylock’s daughter. Shakespeare may have drawn on a form of the biblical name Iscah.

What Does the Name Jessica Mean

The literary use is documented. The proposed biblical connection helps explain why sources often discuss Hebrew roots for an English literary name.

Name history and references

Related reading. Ophelia · Atticus

U.S. Social Security baby-name data