2000
#7,688
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,993
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.48
Rare Last name
Jason
Derived from a Greek mythological hero renowned for his leadership of the Argonauts and quest for the Golden Fleece.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,058 Americans carry the last name Jason. That puts it at #8,883 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 84,464 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Jason surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Jason with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.1K
1 in 84,464
Census rank
#8,883
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,539 bearers of the surname Jason in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8883rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Jason, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.2%. The next largest groups are Black (24.0%) and Hispanic (6.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Jason
The surname Jason has its origins in ancient Greece, where it was derived from the Greek name "Iason," which translates to "healer" or "to heal." The name is believed to have first emerged around the 8th century BC and was particularly popular in the region of Thessaly.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Jason can be found in Greek mythology, where it was borne by the legendary hero of the Argonauts, who led a group of sailors on a quest to retrieve the Golden Fleece. This epic adventure is recounted in various ancient texts, including the "Argonautica" by Apollonius of Rhodes, dating back to the 3rd century BC.
During the Middle Ages, the name Jason gained popularity across Europe, particularly in regions influenced by the Greek culture and language. It was commonly used in Byzantine and Eastern Orthodox communities, as well as in areas with strong ties to classical literature and mythology.
In the 11th century, the name Jason appeared in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners and properties in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This early written record suggests that the name had already gained a foothold in parts of medieval England by that time.
One notable individual bearing the surname Jason was Jason of Pherae, a 4th-century BC ruler of Thessaly, known for his ambitious and ruthless pursuit of power. Another prominent figure was Jason of Cyrene, a 2nd-century BC Jewish historian and author of a now-lost work on the Maccabean revolt.
In the Renaissance period, the name gained further recognition through the works of writers and artists who drew inspiration from classical Greek literature and mythology. One such individual was Jason of Nicosia, a 15th-century Cypriot poet and scholar who played a significant role in the revival of Greek studies in Renaissance Italy.
Other notable figures with the surname Jason include Jason of Thessalonica, a 6th-century Byzantine historian and author of a work on the history of the Gothic Wars, and Jason of Cyrene, a 1st-century BC Jewish philosopher and scholar who wrote on the allegorical interpretation of the Torah.
While the surname Jason has its roots in ancient Greece, it has since spread and been adopted in various cultures around the world, with different spelling variations and pronunciations emerging over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Jason
Among Census respondents with the surname Jason, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.2%. The next largest groups are Black (24.0%) and Hispanic (6.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Jason bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Jason surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.2% · 2,238
- Black or African American24.0% · 849
- Hispanic or Latino6.0% · 211
- Two or more races3.4% · 120
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 103
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Jason
Jason appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#8,198
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,048
+55 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 1.37
Rank movement Down 510 places
2020
#8,883
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,539
-509 bearers (-12.6%)
Per 100,000 1.18
Rank movement Down 685 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,688 | 3,993 | 1.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,198 | 4,048 | 1.37 | +55 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 510 places |
| 2020 | #8,883 | 3,539 | 1.18 | -509 bearers (-12.6%) | Down 685 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Jason surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #8,198 | #8,883 | -8.4% |
| Count | 4,048 | 3,539 | -12.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.37 | 1.18 | -13.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Jason bearers went from 4,048 to 3,539 (-12.6% change). The surname moved down 685 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,198 to #8,883.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Jason
FAQ
Jason surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Jason?
Name Census estimates that about 4,058 living Americans carry the surname Jason. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 84,464 residents.
How common is Jason?
Jason ranks #8,883 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.18 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,539 people with the surname Jason. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,058), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.18 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Jason.
Has Jason become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Jason went from 4,048 recorded bearers to 3,539. That is a decrease of 509 (-12.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,198 to #8,883.
What does the Census say about the background of Jason?
Among Census respondents with the surname Jason, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.2%. The next largest groups are Black (24.0%) and Hispanic (6.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Jason in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.2% (2,238 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Jason appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.2%), Black (24.0%), Hispanic (6.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Jason (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Jason mean?
Derived from a Greek mythological hero renowned for his leadership of the Argonauts and quest for the Golden Fleece. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Jason (1.18 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Jason?
See how common the surname Jason is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.