Worn by a legendary hero who set out to conquer the Golden Fleece, this first name with its dual etymology – Hebrew and Greek – spanned the centuries before establishing itself in France in the 1990s. A look back at a first name story that feels like an odyssey.
Between sky and Olympus: a double birth
Two civilizations, two meanings, one identity. In Hebrew, this first name means “God saves”, linking its bearer to an ancient biblical tradition. In ancient Greek, it takes the meaning of “healer” — an etymology which is reminiscent of the figure of Asclepius, god of medicine. However, it is in Greek mythology that this name finds its most striking resonance. Jason, son of Aeson, king of Iolcos, gathers around him young heroes – all raised and trained by the centaur Chiron – for an expedition as perilous as it is legendary: the quest for the Golden Fleece. Braving hostile seas and countless dangers, he reaches Colchis where he falls in love with Medea, the king’s daughter and powerful magician, who will become his indispensable ally in this extraordinary adventure.
A first name born in England, adopted by America
The modern history of this first name begins in the 17th century, in English-speaking countries. It was across the Atlantic that it experienced its first major recognition: in the 1970s, it appeared in the top 3 male first names in the United States, worn by an entire generation of American baby boomers. This international influence was not without influence on France, which began to adopt it at the same time, driven by the popularity of first names from America. The Frenchized Djason variant testifies to this progressive appropriation, adapted to French phonetics while retaining the echo of the English-speaking original.
1995, the year of the peak in France
In France, the craze for this first name reached its peak in 1995, according to The Official Names (First Editions). On this date, around 21,000 people wear it in France, placing it in the top 600 male first names. Since then, as is often the case with first names with a strong peak in popularity, it has begun a slow decline without, however, disappearing from civil status registers. His character, as defined by specialists, gives him strong traits: originality, energy, discovery, seduction and audacity. Qualities which echo, unsurprisingly, the intrepid navigator of Greek mythology – always in search of a new horizon.