Jayson is a spelling variant of Jason, the Greek Iason, which means "healer", from iasthai, to heal; in myth Jason led the Argonauts in search of the Golden Fleece. The -ay- spelling, popular since the 1970s, echoes the nickname Jay and matches names like Jayden and Jaylen. Basketball star Jayson Tatum is a well-known bearer. Jayson ranked number 370 in the United States in 2000, peaked at number 319 in 2004 and has slipped to number 700 in 2025.