How to say it
JA · son
ˈdʒeɪ.sən
Masculine
Jason
Healer
What it means
Greek Iasōn, from the verb iasthai ('to heal'). The leader of the Argonauts in Greek myth, who sailed on the Argo to retrieve the Golden Fleece. Friday the 13th's hockey-masked Jason Voorhees is the horror-genre counterweight.
Jason comes from the Greek Iasōn, from iasthai ('to heal'). In Greek myth Jason is the leader of the Argonauts, the hero who sailed the Argo with fifty companions to retrieve the Golden Fleece from Colchis; his story is the basis of Apollonius of Rhodes's Argonautica and Euripides's Medea. The name was rare in English until the 1970s, then surged hard, peaked at #2 in 1977. The horror franchise Friday the 13th's Jason Voorhees (1980) gave the name an unwanted secondary anchor that lingered. The original Greek hero is what most parents reach for. Jason Statham, Jason Bateman, and Jason Momoa cover three different modern Hollywood eras. Common short: Jay.
How to spell Jason
The standard spelling is Jason. Common variants include Jayson, Jaison, but Jason is the most widely used form.
Popularity over time
peaked at #2 in 1974, currently #165 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–2025. Reviewed July 2026. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Pop culture
Two cultural anchors pulling in opposite directions: the Greek hero (Argonauts, Golden Fleece) and the slasher villain (Friday the 13th's Jason Voorhees). Most current parents read the Greek.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Jason (Greek myth) Leader of the Argonauts, retrieved the Golden Fleece
- Jason Statham British actor, The Transporter and the Fast and Furious franchise
- Jason Momoa American actor, Aquaman and Khal Drogo in Game of Thrones
Spelling variants
- Jayson
- Jaison
Names with the same feeling
See Jason from another angle
By style
Common questions
- What does the name Jason mean?
- Greek Iasōn, from the verb iasthai ('to heal'). The leader of the Argonauts in Greek myth, who sailed on the Argo to retrieve the Golden Fleece. Friday the 13th's hockey-masked Jason Voorhees is the horror-genre counterweight.
- What does Jason mean in Greek?
- In Greek, Jason means "Healer." Jason comes from the Greek Iasōn, from iasthai ('to heal'). In Greek myth Jason is the leader of the Argonauts, the hero who sailed the Argo with fifty companions to retrieve the Golden Fleece from Colchis; his story is the basis of Apollonius of Rhodes's Argonautica and Euripides's Medea. The name was rare in English until the 1970s, then surged hard, peaked at #2 in 1977. The horror franchise Friday the 13th's Jason Voorhees (1980) gave the name an unwanted secondary anchor that lingered. The original Greek hero is what most parents reach for. Jason Statham, Jason Bateman, and Jason Momoa cover three different modern Hollywood eras. Common short: Jay.
- How do you pronounce Jason?
- Jason is pronounced ˈdʒeɪ.sən. Say it as JA-son, with the stress on the "ja" syllable.
- How do you spell Jason?
- The standard spelling is Jason. Common spelling variants include Jayson, Jaison.
- Is Jason a boy or girl name?
- Jason is traditionally a masculine name.
- How popular is the name Jason?
- Jason ranked #165 in the U.S. in 2025, according to Social Security Administration data.