Jessica vs Samantha
Jessica and Samanthacompared 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 2015, Jessica was ranked #30 and Samantha #85 among girls in New Zealand.
Northern Ireland · Girls
In 2021, Jessica was ranked #38 and Samantha #446 among girls in Northern Ireland.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
In 2013, Jessica was ranked #40 and Samantha #84 among girls in New South Wales, Australia.
Scotland · Girls
In 2024, Jessica was ranked #48 and Samantha #541 among girls in Scotland.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2024, Jessica was ranked #95 and Samantha #670 among girls in England and Wales.
Republic of Ireland · Girls
In 2025, Jessica was ranked #141 and Samantha #885 among girls in Republic of Ireland.
Norway · Girls
In 2025, Jessica was ranked #474 and Samantha #525 among girls in Norway.
Jessica and Samantha over time
Jessica and Samantha appear together in 6 published lists, across 228 years of shared records. Jessica held the stronger position in more years in 6 of them, Samantha in 0.
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.
Samantha 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 moved ahead of the other
In 1981, Jessica moved ahead of Samantha in New South Wales, Australia · Girls — #33 and #25 the year before became #21 and #28.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Jessica and Samantha changed places 4 times in Norway · Girls between 1969 and 2025, ending at #474 and #525.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 38 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Girls, Jessica and Samantha averaged 21.0 places apart, ending at #40 and #84.
- Longest-running competitions
Jessica and Samantha were both ranked in New South Wales, Australia · Girls for 38 years, from 1976 to 2013, ending at #40 and #84.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in New Zealand · Girls within 2 years — Jessica #1 in 1990, Samantha #3 in 1989.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Girls60 shared years, 1966–2025
Jessica held the stronger position in 43 of those years, Samantha in 17.
Highest recorded here: Jessica #12 in 1995, Samantha #33 in 1986.
The order changed in 1987: Jessica moved ahead. In 1986 they stood at #57 and #33; by 1987 that had become #54 and #55.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Jessica #141, Samantha #885.
Norway · Girls41 shared years, 1969–2025
Jessica held the stronger position in 39 of those years, Samantha in 2.
Highest recorded here: Jessica #143 in 2010, Samantha #298 in 2015.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Jessica #474, Samantha #525.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls38 shared years, 1976–2013
Jessica held the stronger position in 33 of those years, Samantha in 5.
Highest recorded here: Jessica #1 in 1984, Samantha #3 in 1992.
The order changed in 1981: Jessica moved ahead. In 1980 they stood at #33 and #25; by 1981 that had become #21 and #28.
Most recent shared year, 2013: Jessica #40, Samantha #84.
New Zealand · Girls37 shared years, 1978–2015
Jessica held the stronger position in 37 of those years, Samantha in 0.
Highest recorded here: Jessica #1 in 1990, Samantha #3 in 1989.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2015: Jessica #30, Samantha #85.
England and Wales · Girls29 shared years, 1996–2024
Jessica held the stronger position in 29 of those years, Samantha in 0.
Highest recorded here: Jessica #1 in 2005, Samantha #32 in 1996.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Jessica #95, Samantha #670.
Northern Ireland · Girls23 shared years, 1997–2021
Jessica held the stronger position in 23 of those years, Samantha in 0.
Highest recorded here: Jessica #4 in 2008, Samantha #57 in 2000.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2021: Jessica #38, Samantha #446.
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 | Samantha |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| 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. | Likely a feminine adaptation of Samuel, incorporating a suffix possibly derived from Greek 'anthos' ('flower'). Emerged in 18th-century America; boosted to wide popularity by the 1964 television series Bewitched. |
| Origin | Biblical Hebrew, via a Shakespearean literary coinage | Hebrew, feminine adaptation (uncertain suffix origin) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈd͡ʒɛs.ɪ.kə/ | /sə.ˈmæn.θə/ |
| 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, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Girls #141 (2025) | Norway · Girls #525 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 82/100 | 76/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Jessica is recorded with a Biblical Hebrew, via a Shakespearean literary coinage origin, while Samantha is recorded with a Hebrew, feminine adaptation (uncertain suffix origin) origin.
- Jessica and Samantha both have 3 syllables.
- Jessica's recorded meaning differs from Samantha'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
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
Samantha
Popularity journey
First recorded1966
First recorded at #79 among girls in New South Wales, Australia in 1966 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Highest recorded1966–2013
Highest recorded position: #3 among girls in New South Wales, Australia, in 1992 (recorded 1966–2013).
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #525 among girls in Norway, in 2025.
Norway · Girls