Boy · #160 in 2026

Jason

Name: Popularity of the name Jason in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Jason, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Jason is a common masculine given name. It comes from Greek Ἰάσων (Iásōn), meaning "healer", from the verb ἰάομαι (iáomai), "heal", "cure", cognate with ἰατρός (iatrós), "healer", "physician".

English
French
Greek Mythology
Biblical

Current Rank

#160

Peak Rank

#2 (1977)

Total Babies

1.1M

5-Yr Trend

-32%

1953

First Year

2022

Last Year

1977

Peak Year

#561

Peak Rank

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Jason

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

English
French
Greek Mythology
Biblical

The Story of Jason

The earliest SSA record of Jason as a baby boy name dates back to 1880, when 20 babies received it. 1977 was its biggest year on record, with 55,636 newborns named Jason — #2 in the national rankings. About 44% of every Jason on record arrived during the 1970s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Jason ranks #160 for baby boys with 2,241 births, falling sharply (-32%). All told, over 1.1M Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Variants & Related Forms of Jason

Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Jason. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Names that sound like Jason

Phonetically similar names — useful when Jason is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Jason

What does the name Jason mean?

What is the origin of the name Jason?

Jason has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English, French, Greek Mythology, Biblical.

How popular is Jason in 2026?

In 2026, Jason ranks #160 among boys' names in the U.S., with 2,241 babies given the name that year.

When was Jason most popular?

Jason reached its peak popularity in 1977, ranking #2 that year with 55,636 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Jason most popular?

Jason has historically been most popular in Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Jason.

Is Jason a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Jason is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.

What names go well with Jason?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Jason include William, Matthew, Christopher. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

What are nicknames or variants of Jason?

Common variants and related forms of Jason include Iason, Jace, Jae, Jai, Jase, Jay. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

About the name Jason

Jason is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 1.1M births in the dataset. Jason's peak popularity came in 1977 when it ranked #2. Use the chart and map above to compare Jason's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.