Anna vs Jessica
Anna 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 2024, Anna was ranked #19 and Jessica #127 among girls in Northern Ireland.
Norway · Girls
In 2025, Anna was ranked #23 and Jessica #474 among girls in Norway.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Anna was ranked #26 and Jessica #141 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2017, Anna was ranked #48 and Jessica #96 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Anna was ranked #53 and Jessica #48 among girls in Scotland.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2019, Anna was ranked #91 and Jessica #85 among girls in New Zealand.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Anna was ranked #125 and Jessica #95 among girls in England and Wales.
Anna and Jessica over time
Anna and Jessica appear together in 6 published lists, across 261 years of shared records. Neither was ahead in more lists than the other.
The order between them changed and held in 2 of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Each reached its own highest recorded position first in 3 of the lists they share.
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 2019, Jessica moved ahead of Anna in New Zealand · Girls — #78 and #93 the year before became #91 and #85.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Anna and Jessica changed places 11 times in Northern Ireland · Girls between 1997 and 2024, ending at #19 and #127.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 29 shared years in England and Wales · Girls, Anna and Jessica averaged 48.8 places apart, ending at #125 and #95.
- Longest-running competitions
Anna and Jessica were both ranked in New South Wales, Australia · Girls for 42 years, from 1976 to 2017, ending at #48 and #96.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in New South Wales, Australia · Girls within 2 years — Anna #35 in 1986, Jessica #1 in 1984.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls60 shared years, 1966–2025
Anna held the stronger position in 39 of those years, Jessica in 21.
Highest recorded here: Anna #12 in 2013, Jessica #12 in 1995.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Anna #26, Jessica #141.
Norway · Girls59 shared years, 1964–2025
Anna held the stronger position in 59 of those years, Jessica in 0.
Highest recorded here: Anna #4 in 2007, Jessica #143 in 2010.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Anna #23, Jessica #474.
New Zealand · Girls43 shared years, 1977–2019
Anna held the stronger position in 8 of those years, Jessica in 35.
Highest recorded here: Anna #3 in 1980, Jessica #1 in 1990.
The order changed in 2019: Jessica moved ahead. In 2018 they stood at #78 and #93; by 2019 that had become #91 and #85.
Most recent shared year, 2019: Anna #91, Jessica #85.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls42 shared years, 1976–2017
Anna held the stronger position in 5 of those years, Jessica in 37.
Highest recorded here: Anna #35 in 1986, Jessica #1 in 1984.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2017: Anna #48, Jessica #96.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Anna held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Jessica in 29.
Highest recorded here: Anna #31 in 2000, Jessica #1 in 2005.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Anna #125, Jessica #95.
Northern Ireland · Girls28 shared years, 1997–2024
Anna held the stronger position in 18 of those years, Jessica in 9.
Highest recorded here: Anna #4 in 2016, Jessica #4 in 2008.
The order changed in 2014: Anna moved ahead. In 2013 they stood at #9 and #9; by 2014 that had become #7 and #14.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Anna #19, Jessica #127.
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 | Anna | Jessica |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | A form of Hannah used in the Greek and Latin Old Testament, from the Hebrew root 'hanan' relating to grace. Appears in the New Testament as a prophetess who recognised Jesus as the Messiah. | 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 | Biblical Hebrew, via Greek/Latin transmission | Biblical Hebrew, via a Shakespearean literary coinage |
| Pronunciation | /ˈa.na/ | /ˈd͡ʒɛs.ɪ.kə/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Norway · Girls #23 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #141 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 95/100 | 82/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Anna is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew, via Greek/Latin transmission origin, while Jessica is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew, via a Shakespearean literary coinage origin.
- Anna has 2 syllables, compared with 3 for Jessica.
- Anna's recorded meaning differs from Jessica's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ.
How each name got here
Anna
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #38 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1956–2021
Highest recorded position: #3 among girls in New Zealand, in 1980 (recorded 1956–2021).
New Zealand · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #23 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · 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 recorded1996–2024
Highest recorded position: #1 among girls in England and Wales, in 2005 (recorded 1996–2024).
England and Wales · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #474 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls