McCarron
An Irish surname usually understood as meaning “son of Carron,” from an old Gaelic personal name or byname.
The #9,054 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 85,549 Americans shares it.
Etymology
McCarron is an Anglicized Irish surname formed with Mac, meaning “son of,” plus a Gaelic personal name or byname rendered in English as Carron. The historical sources here point to an Irish Mac- name, but the exact older Gaelic form is not certain from the excerpts alone. In broad terms, the name is treated as a patronymic: it identifies a family descended from, or associated with, an early bearer of the name Carron.
History
The name is recorded among Irish surnames in 19th-century surname compilations, and later appears in English-language census and directory materials in forms such as McCarron, McCarren, and McCarrin. Like many Irish Mac surnames, it became more widely standardized in Anglicized spelling over time, though local spelling variation remained common. The surname is now found especially in Ireland and among Irish diaspora communities, including the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century indexes often grouped McCarron with several nearby McCarr- surnames, reflecting how fluid Irish surname spellings could be in English records.
From the historical record
“rriAC CeAn^lAij, Kangley; Tighe. rriAC CeAt>A, Carr. rriAC CeAitAin, MacCarron. rriAC CeAiibAill.MacCarroll, Mac Carvill, MacCarville, Mac Kervel, MacErvel, Carroll,”
— Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish names and surnames