From 1954 to 1998, the most poplular name given to babies was Michael for boys and Jessica for girls. Sometimes, people also used the baby name Michael as a girl's name, and they pronounced it as Mye-kal. Michael is Biblical in origin and was used to mean "who resembles God". The name referred to the archangel who defeated the dragon. Many kings and saints have been given the name and there are many variations of the name over the centuries. The name Michael very popular 1954-1998 has seen many famous people.
The name has a variety of short cuts like Mikey, Mikel, Miquel, Mike, or Mick. Famous people like Mickey Mantle, Mickey Rooney, Michael Caine, Michael J. Fox, Michel Chiklis, Michael Gambon, Mike Myers, Michael Jackson, Mick Jagger and even a very famous cartoon character Mickey Mouse created by Walt Disney have all added to the fame of the name Michael.
The girl's name Jessica pronounced JESS-a-kah is also of Hebrew origin.
The name means "He sees" and was coined by Shakespeare from the Old Testament Iscah put in the story The Merchant of Venice for Shylock's daughter, a young Jewish woman who elopes with Lorenzo and converts to Christianity. The name dates very far back in the history of the world but it is popular today with many well know personalities such as singer Jessica Simpson, actresses Jessica Lange, Jessica Tandy, Jessica Alba, Jessica Capshaw and Sarah Jessica Parker. The name very popular between the years 1954-1998 still holds its own today with many babies being named Jessica whose star will shine.
Michael and Jessica - Baby Names From 1954-1998