Jason is a common masculine given name. It comes from Greek (), meaning "healer", from the verb (), "heal", "cure", cognate with (), the goddess of healing, and (), "healer", "physician". Forms of related words have been attested in Greek from as far back as Mycenaen (in Linear B) and Arcadocypriot (in the Cypriot syllabary) Greek: , i-ja-te and i-ja-te-ra-ne, respectively, both regarded as standing for inflected forms of , "healer".
The name was borne in Greek mythology by Jason, the great Thessalian hero who led the Argonauts in the quest for the Golden Fleece. The name is also found in the New Testament, as the house of a man named Jason was used as a refuge by Paul and Silas. In his case, it could come as a Hellenized form of Joshua.
Its adoption in the United Kingdom peaked during the 1970s, when it was among the top 20 male names, but it had fallen out of the top 100 by 2003.
Jason is the most common spelling; however, there are many variant spellings such as Jaeson, Jaison, Jayson, and Jacyn. Jay and Jace are the common diminutives.
A feminine name that sounds similar is Jacin, derived from the Portuguese-Spanish name Jacinta or the Anglicized version Jacinda, meaning hyacinth.
Notable people with the name
Historical figures
Jason, mythological leader of the Argonauts
Jason (high priest) (2nd century BCE), High Priest of Jerusalem
Jason the Martyr (3rd century), saint and martyr
Jason of Cyrene (circa 100 BCE), Jewish historian
Jason of Nysa (circa 100 BCE), Stoic philosopher
Jason of Pherae (died 370 BCE), King of Thessaly
Jason of Tarsus, saint numbered among the 72 Apostles
Jason of Tralles (1st century BCE), tragic actor singing the Bacchae of Euripides when the head of Crassus was brought to the king Orodes II
Born 1400–1900
Giasone del Maino (1435–1519), Italian jurist
Jason W. Briggs (1821–1899), American leader of the Latter Day Saint movement
Jason B. Parrish (1878–1906), American football player and coach
Jason Chamberlaine (1823–1903), gold miner in California
Jason Downer (1813–1883), American judge in Wisconsin
Jason E. Hammond (1862–1957), American educator and politician
Jason Fairbanks (1780–1801), American murderer
Jay Gould (1836–1892), American railroad magnate
Jason Haven (1733–1803), American minister
Jason John Nassau (1893–1965) American Astronomer
Jason Lee (missionary) (1803–1845), Canadian missionary
Jason Niles (1814–1894), American lawyer, newspaper editor, and politician
Jason Pratensis (1486–1558), Dutch neurologist and poet
Jason Ralph (footballer) (1872–1952), Australian rules footballer
Jason Russell (1716–1775), American whose home was the site of a battle in the American Revolutionary War Jason Smogorzewski (1717–1779), Bishop of Ruthenia