MovieChat Forums > Murder, She Wrote (1984) Discussion > Why Jessica?

Why Jessica?

posted 3 years ago by Alerra (244)
2 replies | jump to latest

One of Jessica's parents must have been a big Shakespeare buff. That's the only reason I can think of that a girl being born in the 1920s or 30s would have been given that name. (I actually looked this up. Only once during those 20 years did the name ever break the top 1000 in popularity here in the US.)

Either that, or the writers just chose one of the more popular names of the 1980s at random. But I like the Shakespeare idea.

[–] liscarkat (16576) 2 years ago

Yeah, Betty would have been more likely.

[–] CarolTheDabbler (518) 2 years ago

Hmm, you're right about that name's history in the US. And the McGills (Jessica's mother's family) do seem to have something of a theater (or at least music hall) connection, so perhaps Shakespeare did have some influence. AND the McGills are Irish -- maybe the name was more common over there?