He was one of the most popular names for boys born in the 1970s.  And with Halloween just days away, you’ll also find him lurking behind a hockey mask in a seemingly unending series of horror flicks.

Today’s Name of the Day is Jason.

Well before Jason Voorhees terrorized teens from summer camp to outer space, Jason was a popular choice.  The first of eleven movies hit the big screen in 1980 – nine years after Jason cracked the US Top Ten.  And so despite his slasher flick cred, plenty of other associations keep this one wearable.

Jason first appears way back in Greek mythology as Iason, most likely from iasthai, to heal.  The original bearer of the name was all hero, finder of the Golden Fleece and leader of the Argonauts.  Yes, there was quite a kerfuffle with jilted wife Medea – but that incident aside, Jason was the kind of figure you’d happily choose as inspiration for a child’s name.

In his wanderings, Jason covered quite a bit of ground and even strayed from traditional Greek myth.  Stories tell us that post-Fleece, he sailed up the Danube, slayed a dragon and founded the city of Ljubljana, the capital of modern-day Slovenia.

The next notable Jason turns up in the New Testament.  Theories suggest it was a Greek Christian variant of the Hebrew Yehoshua – also translated as Joshua.

While Jason has been known for well over two thousand years, his history of use is quite recent.  Jason was first heard during the Protestant Reformation, but didn’t take off until the 20th century.  He broke into the US Top 500 in 1948, after which he quickly climbed the charts.  He’s been in the Top 100 since 1966, and spent 1971 to 1983 in the Top Ten.  Today, he’s a comfortably common #59.

There are many likable bearers of the name:

• Actor Jason Alexander, best known as George on Seinfeld;
• Silver and small screen actor Jason Bateman;
• Jason “Jay” Kay of acid jazz group Jamiroquai;
• Singer Jason Mraz;
• Action film hero Jason Statham;
• The fictional Jason Bourne, of Robert Ludlum’s novels and the film adaptations starring Matt Damon.

Our list is certainly incomplete – odds are you know a few Jasons, too.  

You’ll hear Jason in the UK and sparingly elsewhere in Europe, but he never reached the same heights outside of the US.

Jason once sounded uber-trendy, but today he feels almost like a modern classic.  He fits with today’s creative picks, like Jayden, Jaylon and Jaxon – just like he fit with Jeff and Josh a few years back – but has history that many of today’s choices lack.

Inevitably some parents have opted to re-spell this one.  Jayson charted at #354 last year and we’ve heard of Jasen, Jaysin and Jacen.  This strikes us as a bit pointless, and certainly forfeits his modern classic status.

Once again, we suggest that Jason is best considered by couples in search of a compromise.  When one parent is thinking Kaden and the other leaning towards James, Jason splits the difference.  He’s familiar, but can’t be considered trendy.  And while he’s not as classic as Thomas or William, he’s got plenty of story to tell.