Caron
A surname with several possible origins, most often explained as a French occupational name for a cart-maker or carter.
The #2,817 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 24,102 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Caron is usually connected with Old French caron, a word tied to carts and cart-making. In that sense it likely began as an occupational name for someone who made, drove, or worked with carts, ultimately going back to Latin carrus or related vehicle terms. Some historical writers also noted regional uses and place-name possibilities, so the name may not have a single origin everywhere.
History
The name is well established in French-speaking areas, especially northern France, and later appears in places influenced by French settlement and migration. Historical surname dictionaries also record it in regional or dialectal forms, which suggests more than one local source rather than one universal derivation. In North America, Caron is especially familiar as a French-Canadian surname.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A 19th-century French dialect source explicitly notes caron as a living regional form meaning something like a cart-related worker.
From the historical record
“Capellanus Caron Cadiand Canceler”
— British Family Names: their origin and meaning (2nd ed.)