Jessica vs Oddny
Jessica and Oddnycompared 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.
Norway · Girls
In 1984, Jessica was ranked #267 and Oddny #666 among girls in Norway.
Jessica and Oddny over time
Jessica and Oddny appear together in 1 published list, across 19 years of shared records. Jessica held the stronger position in more years in 1 of them, Oddny in 0.
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.
Oddny reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 1 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 1977, Jessica moved ahead of Oddny in Norway · Girls — #428 and #384 the year before became #196 and #618.
List by list
Norway · Girls19 shared years, 1964–1984
Jessica held the stronger position in 10 of those years, Oddny in 9.
Highest recorded here: Jessica #195 in 1981, Oddny #179 in 1964.
The order changed in 1977: Jessica moved ahead. In 1976 they stood at #428 and #384; by 1977 that had become #196 and #618.
Most recent shared year, 1984: Jessica #267, Oddny #666.
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 | Oddny |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | NO |
| Most recent popularity observation | England and Wales · Girls #139 (2025) | Norway · Girls #666 (1984) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | Not yet recorded |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 82/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 40/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Jessica has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew, via a Shakespearean literary coinage); Oddny does not have one recorded yet.
- Jessica has 3 syllables, compared with 2 for Oddny.
- A meaning is recorded for Jessica; Oddny doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in NO.
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 recorded1996–2025
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
Oddny
Popularity journey
First recorded1945
First recorded at #91 among girls in Norway in 1945 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Girls
Highest recorded1945–1984
Highest recorded position: #87 among girls in Norway, in 1953 (recorded 1945–1984).
Norway · Girls
Most recent1984
Most recently recorded at #666 among girls in Norway, in 1984.
Norway · Girls