The name Jonson, of Latin origin, translates to "Jon's son". It is derived from the medieval personal name Jon which itself comes from the Hebrew Yonah meaning "dove". The name was popularized by English playwright Ben Jonson, a contemporary of Shakespeare. In recent years, it has been more commonly used as a surname than a given name.
"Between 1987 and 1998, there were a total of 16 babies named Jonson born each year, with peaks in 1987 (6 births) and the years 1990 and 1998 (both having 5 births)."