Jess

proper noun

1. 1

   A diminutive of the male given name Jesse.

2. 2

   A diminutive of the female given names Jessica or Jessamy.

   ‘Now then Kit,’ said Mr Parkinson, ‘look sharp! Help Jess up. Where has she got to?’ ‘Here I am!’ said Jessamy breathlessly as “helped” rather to vigorously from behind by Kit, she arrived on her knees on the floor of the dog cart.

   ‘It’s almost as if we’ve gone silly with happiness,’ said Marcus two days later. ‘Everyone in the house going round grinning like a lot of Cheshire Cats! The family I mean.’ ‘And Jess,’ said Kitto quickly. ‘Oh well, Jess is as good as family,’ said Fanny comfortably. Jessamy said nothing, but she looked up quickly and her smile would have rivalled any Cheshire Cat.

   That's because officials say government systems can't currently incorporate the diacritic marks — the accents and symbols used to change the meaning and pronunciation of words — that Jess H̓áust̓i considers an essential part of her Indigenous surname.