Jason

Where the name comes from

• Ancient Greek
  connected with healing (from ἰάομαι, ‘I heal’)
  Ἰάσων (Iasōn); verb ἰάομαι (iaomai), ‘to heal’
  The Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources: “a derivative of Ancient Greek ἰάομαι ‘I heal’.” Strong’s Concordance reads it as a future participle, “about to cure.” The Online Etymology Dictionary is more cautious for the mythic hero: “perhaps related to iasthai ‘to heal’.”
• Hellenistic Jewish usage (adoption, not etymology)
  Used as the Greek name of Jews called Jeshua / Jesus (Hebrew Yehoshua, Joshua)
  Hebrew Yehoshua (Jeshua) → Greek name Jason, by substitution
  Josephus writes of the high priest’s brother: “This Jesus changed his name to Jason.” The Jewish Encyclopedia heads its article “JASON (JESHUA or JESUS).” The Online Etymology Dictionary calls Jason “a common name among Hellenistic Jews” for Yehoshua and says the names “were somewhat merged in Christian Greek.” This explains why Jews chose the name; it does not change the Greek origin.

Jason across traditions

• Greek mythology. Jason, son of Aeson, led the Argonauts.
• Jewish (Second Temple period). Jason, brother of the high priest Onias III, was himself a Hellenizing high priest in Jerusalem under the Seleucid king Antiochus IV, about 2,200 years ago; Josephus says his name had been Jesus. Another Jason, son of Eleazar, was sent by Judas Maccabeus as envoy to Rome.
• Christian (New Testament). Jason of Thessalonica was Paul’s host (Acts 17:5–9). Whether he is the same as the Jason whom Paul calls a kinsman in Romans 16:21 is uncertain.
• European. Rare in medieval Europe: the Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources has a single citation, from Italy in 1521 (Latin Iasonis).
• United States (SSA). 1,028,254 combined births in the SSA decade tables, 1950s–2010s. Not in the 1950s top 200; entered at #88 in the 1960s. Peak decade: the 1970s (462,709 births, #3 among boys). Top 100 in every decade from the 1960s through the 2010s (#78 in the 2010s).

Who carried it

• Jason, high priest in Jerusalem (born Jesus/Jeshua) (About 2,200 years ago): Hellenizing high priest under Antiochus IV; brother of Onias III; Josephus records his change of name from Jesus to Jason
• Jason, son of Eleazar (Time of Judas Maccabeus): Envoy of Judas Maccabeus to Rome
• Jason of Thessalonica (Apostolic age (New Testament)): Paul’s host in Thessalonica (Acts 17:5–9)

Forms in other languages

Iason, Iasōn

Jason in letter-number systems

Hebrew, Greek and other traditions gave every letter a number, and read meaning into the totals. These are the counts, computed; the readings are inside the Innerverse.