Jessica vs Natasha
Jessica and Natashacompared 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.
New Zealand · Girls
In 2005, Jessica was ranked #5 and Natasha #82 among girls in New Zealand.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2008, Jessica was ranked #16 and Natasha #79 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2019, Jessica was ranked #28 and Natasha #336 among girls in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Jessica was ranked #95 and Natasha #1262 among girls in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2024, Jessica was ranked #117 and Natasha #736 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Norway · Girls
In 2015, Jessica was ranked #355 and Natasha #565 among girls in Norway.
Jessica and Natasha over time
Jessica and Natasha appear together in 6 published lists, across 204 years of shared records. Jessica held the stronger position in more years in 6 of them, Natasha in 0.
The order between them changed and held in 3 of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Natasha reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 4 of those lists, Jessica in 2. 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 took the other's place near the top
In New South Wales, Australia · Girls, Jessica moved into the top 50 at #36 in 1979 as Natasha fell out of it to #54, having been #50 the year before.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 1979, Jessica moved ahead of Natasha in New South Wales, Australia · Girls — #72 and #50 the year before became #36 and #54.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 33 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Girls, Jessica and Natasha averaged 37.0 places apart, ending at #16 and #79.
- Mirrored each other
Over 33 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Girls, Jessica rose about as far as Natasha fell — from #96 and #50 in 1976 to #16 and #79 in 2008.
- Longest-running competitions
Jessica and Natasha were both ranked in New South Wales, Australia · Girls for 33 years, from 1976 to 2008, ending at #16 and #79.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in Republic of Ireland · Girls within 2 years — Jessica #12 in 1995, Natasha #69 in 1996.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls57 shared years, 1966–2024
Jessica held the stronger position in 44 of those years, Natasha in 12.
Highest recorded here: Jessica #12 in 1995, Natasha #69 in 1996.
The order changed in 1982: Jessica moved ahead. In 1981 they stood at #111 and #101; by 1982 that had become #78 and #107.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Jessica #117, Natasha #736.
Norway · Girls35 shared years, 1970–2015
Jessica held the stronger position in 35 of those years, Natasha in 0.
Highest recorded here: Jessica #143 in 2010, Natasha #343 in 2007.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2015: Jessica #355, Natasha #565.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls33 shared years, 1976–2008
Jessica held the stronger position in 30 of those years, Natasha in 3.
Highest recorded here: Jessica #1 in 1984, Natasha #23 in 1992.
The order changed in 1979: Jessica moved ahead. In 1978 they stood at #72 and #50; by 1979 that had become #36 and #54.
Most recent shared year, 2008: Jessica #16, Natasha #79.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Jessica held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Natasha in 0.
Highest recorded here: Jessica #1 in 2005, Natasha #33 in 1996.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Jessica #95, Natasha #1262.
New Zealand · Girls29 shared years, 1977–2005
Jessica held the stronger position in 27 of those years, Natasha in 2.
Highest recorded here: Jessica #1 in 1990, Natasha #13 in 1978.
The order changed in 1979: Jessica moved ahead. In 1978 they stood at #26 and #13; by 1979 that had become #12 and #15.
Most recent shared year, 2005: Jessica #5, Natasha #82.
Northern Ireland · Girls21 shared years, 1997–2019
Jessica held the stronger position in 21 of those years, Natasha in 0.
Highest recorded here: Jessica #4 in 2008, Natasha #34 in 1998.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2019: Jessica #28, Natasha #336.
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 | Jessica | Natasha |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Official statistical record (evidence-only) |
| Gender usage | female | female |
| Meaning | 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. | Not yet recorded |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew, via a Shakespearean literary coinage | Not yet recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈd͡ʒɛs.ɪ.kə/ | Not yet recorded |
| Syllables | 3 | 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, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #141 (2025) | Republic of Ireland · Girls #736 (2024) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| 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); Natasha does not have one recorded yet.
- Jessica and Natasha both have 3 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Jessica; Natasha doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, IE, NO, NZ.
How each name got here
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
Natasha
Popularity journey
First recorded1965
First recorded at #385 among girls in Republic of Ireland in 1965 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
Highest recorded1971–2005
Highest recorded position: #8 among girls in New Zealand, in 1976 (recorded 1971–2005).
New Zealand · Girls
Most recent2024
Most recently recorded at #1262 among girls in England and Wales, in 2024.
England and Wales · Girls