Fun Facts About the Name Iason
- 39 babies named Iason: U.S. records list 39 babies given the name Iason from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Iason Mean?
Iason is the Greek form of the name that English speakers know as Jason. It comes from the Greek Ἰάσων (Iásōn), which is usually explained as a derivative of the verb ἰάομαι (iaomai), "to heal," giving the established meaning "healer." The same root lies behind ἴασις (iasis), "healing," and ἰατρός (iatros), "physician."
The name's second element, -σων (-sōn), is a common ending in Greek masculine names, as in Πλάτων (Plátōn) and Στράβων (Strabōn), though the exact way the name was built is not fully explained. Greek writers themselves linked Iason with healing, and that is the traditional, customary interpretation. Because the hero who bears the name belongs to very old myth, some modern scholars treat the connection with iaomai as a later reinterpretation and consider the name pre-Greek in origin. No widely accepted alternative etymology has replaced the "healer" explanation, but it is a customary reading rather than a certainty.
Iason Name History & Origins
Ἰάσων is best known as the name of the leader of the Argonauts, the son of Aeson, king of Iolcus in Thessaly, who sailed to Colchis to fetch the Golden Fleece. He is named in the Iliad as the father of Euneos, and the Odyssey refers to the ship Argo and her voyage from Aeetes' land; Hesiod also knows Jason and Medea as a pair. The fullest early telling is Pindar's Fourth Pythian Ode, and the story was retold much later by Apollonius of Rhodes in the Argonautica and by Euripides in Medea. The myth, not the etymology, is what kept the name alive in Greek tradition.
The name is also found in Jewish and early Christian settings. Hellenistic Jews adopted Iason as a Greek equivalent of the Hebrew name Yeshua (Joshua), which sounded similar. The high priest called Jason in 2 Maccabees bore the Hebrew name Jesus, and the Jason of Thessalonica who sheltered Paul is named in Acts and greeted in Romans, where the Greek text reads Ἰάσων. Through Latin the name became Iason or Jason, the form used by Ovid and Seneca, and it is Latin that English inherited as Jason. Greek speakers continued to use the original Ἰάσων; other European languages have their own shapes, such as Italian Giasone and Spanish Jasón.
A separate but similar-looking name belongs to Iaso (Ἰασώ), one of the healing figures associated with Asclepius. It shares the same root but should not be assumed to be the same name as Iason.
How Popular is the Name Iason?
Iason has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2013. Its best rank was #8,360 in 2013.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | #9,943 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2016 | #11,240 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2015 | #11,206 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2013 | #8,360 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2012 | #12,963 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2011 | #11,371 | 6 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Iason Shapes Your Personality and Life?
Your tendency is to finish whatever you start. You like to use the pen or the needle (writing, fashion design etc). You are loving, compassionate, intuitive and humanitarian. Runs of luck, either good or bad, follow you. You are sympathetic, but at times might be touchy and oversensitive. You may have a gift for writing. You are intuitive and might be interested in the arts, drama or science.
Dependable, very down-to-earth and well grounded, you are always looking for meaningful work, a career where you can take pride in your work and do the best job you are capable of. Your prime desire is to build protected and secure environment at home and at work. You can be very persuasive in achieving goals and gaining objectives. You can be very detailed and well-organized and possess great organizational skills. At times you may appear too stubborn and overly critical to others, but your practical approach to life and productivity makes you one of the most beneficent members of community.
✦ Iason's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Iason's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.