Jason
Say it: JAY-sun/ˈdʒeɪsən/
BoyMythologyMeans healer5 letters2 syllables
#135
in Ireland (2025)
40
babies in 2025
#18
best rank (1974)
11,415
babies since 1965
Down 22
10-year rank change
Jason through the years
Compare with another name →Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (boys) | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 40 | #135 |
| 2024 | 31 | #158 |
| 2023 | 26 | #191 |
| 2022 | 38 | #153 |
| 2021 | 40 | #149 |
| 2020 | 39 | #147 |
| 2019 | 38 | #152 |
| 2018 | 54 | #123 |
| 2017 | 57 | #114 |
| 2016 | 71 | #98 |
| 2015 | 62 | #113 |
| 2014 | 72 | #103 |
| 2013 | 86 | #89 |
| 2012 | 94 | #86 |
| 2011 | 114 | #71 |
| 2010 | 100 | #75 |
| 2009 | 109 | #72 |
| 2008 | 123 | #72 |
| 2007 | 117 | #68 |
| 2006 | 126 | #60 |
| 2005 | 116 | #65 |
| 2004 | 155 | #49 |
| 2003 | 140 | #45 |
| 2002 | 183 | #37 |
| 2001 | 160 | #45 |
| 2000 | 191 | #39 |
| 1999 | 201 | #35 |
| 1998 | 184 | #33 |
| 1997 | 261 | #34 |
| 1996 | 300 | #27 |
| 1995 | 303 | #26 |
| 1994 | 303 | #24 |
| 1993 | 266 | #29 |
| 1992 | 266 | #28 |
| 1991 | 270 | #27 |
| 1990 | 252 | #32 |
| 1989 | 416 | #19 |
| 1988 | 359 | #20 |
| 1987 | 347 | #25 |
| 1986 | 381 | #22 |
| 1985 | 273 | #36 |
| 1984 | 281 | #37 |
| 1983 | 258 | #43 |
| 1982 | 267 | #42 |
| 1981 | 253 | #45 |
| 1980 | 319 | #37 |
| 1979 | 315 | #29 |
| 1978 | 264 | #36 |
| 1977 | 317 | #30 |
| 1976 | 352 | #27 |
| 1975 | 370 | #25 |
| 1974 | 442 | #18 |
| 1973 | 418 | #21 |
| 1972 | 311 | #25 |
| 1971 | 252 | #37 |
| 1970 | 141 | #53 |
| 1969 | 63 | #88 |
| 1968 | 14 | #150 |
| 1967 | 6 | #208 |
| 1966 | 5 | #219 |
| 1965 | 3 | #250 |
Source: CSO, Irish Babies' Names (VSA50, VSA60), CC BY 4.0.
★ What does Jason mean?
Healer
Greek Iásōn, from iáomai (I heal).
Say it right
JAYsun
The story of Jason
Jason comes from the Greek Iásōn, built on a verb meaning “to heal”, so it is usually explained as “healer”. The same root gives the Greek word for a doctor. A Jason also appears briefly in the New Testament, where the name may stand for the Hebrew Joshua.
In Greek myth, Jason is the leader of the Argonauts, the heroes who sailed on the ship Argo. He wins the Golden Fleece from King Aeëtes of Colchis and brings it back for his uncle Pelias.
The name was hugely popular across the English-speaking world in the 1970s and 1980s, and Ireland was no exception. It took off in the late 1960s and peaked in 1974, with 442 boys and a rank of number 18. By 2025 it was number 135. In Northern Ireland its best place was number 36 in 1998.
Say it differently where you're from, or spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Sources
- Wiktionary: Jason (English proper noun)
- Wikipedia: Jason (given name)
- CSO VSA50, Boys Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
At a glance
Similar names
Sibling ideas
Nicknames
JayJase
Spellings counted here
| Spelling | 2025 | All years |
|---|---|---|
| Jason | 40 | 11,415 |
In Northern Ireland
#314 in 2025 with 5 babies. Best rank #36 (1998); 823 babies since 1997.
Source: NISRA, Open Government Licence.