Aisling vs Jessica
Aisling and Jessicacompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2022, Aisling was ranked #418 and Jessica #62 among girls in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2025, Aisling was ranked #1892 and Jessica #139 among girls in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Aisling was ranked #180 and Jessica #141 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Aisling and Jessica over time
Aisling and Jessica appear together in 3 published lists, across 116 years of shared records. Jessica held the stronger position in more years in 2 of them, Aisling in 1.
The order between them changed and held in one of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Aisling reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, and Jessica in none. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 1998, Jessica moved ahead of Aisling in Republic of Ireland · Girls — #18 and #19 the year before became #21 and #19.
- Mirrored each other
Over 60 shared years in Republic of Ireland · Girls, Jessica rose about as far as Aisling fell — from #100 and #380 in 1966 to #180 and #141 in 2025.
- Longest-running competitions
Aisling and Jessica were both ranked in England and Wales · Girls for 30 years, from 1996 to 2025, ending at #1892 and #139.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls60 shared years, 1966–2025
Aisling held the stronger position in 31 of those years, Jessica in 29.
Highest recorded here: Aisling #8 in 1991, Jessica #12 in 1995.
The order changed in 1998: Jessica moved ahead. In 1997 they stood at #18 and #19; by 1998 that had become #21 and #19.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Aisling #180, Jessica #141.
England and Wales · Girls30 shared years, 1996–2025
Aisling held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Jessica in 30.
Highest recorded here: Aisling #391 in 1998, Jessica #1 in 2005.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Aisling #1892, Jessica #139.
Northern Ireland · Girls26 shared years, 1997–2022
Aisling held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Jessica in 26.
Highest recorded here: Aisling #60 in 1998, Jessica #4 in 2008.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2022: Aisling #418, Jessica #62.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Aisling | Jessica |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Coined by William Shakespeare for his 1596 play The Merchant of Venice, where it belongs to Shylock's daughter — likely based on the biblical name Iscah, also spelled Jescha/Jischa in some translations of Shakespeare's time. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Biblical Hebrew, via a Shakespearean literary coinage |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈd͡ʒɛs.ɪ.kə/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #180 (2025) | England and Wales · Girls #139 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 82/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Jessica has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew, via a Shakespearean literary coinage); Aisling does not have one recorded yet.
- Aisling has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Jessica.
- A meaning is recorded for Jessica; Aisling doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE.
How each name got here
Aisling
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #154 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1964–2025
Highest recorded position: #8 among girls in Republic of Ireland, in 1991 (recorded 1964–2025).
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #1892 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls
Jessica
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #471 among girls in Norway in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1996–2025
Highest recorded position: #1 among girls in England and Wales, in 2005 (recorded 1996–2025).
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #139 among girls in England and Wales, in 2025.
England and Wales · Girls