2000
#2,690
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,343
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.58
Uncommon Last name
Caron
A French occupational surname referring to a cartwright or wagon maker, derived from the Old French "carre" meaning "cart."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,668 Americans carry the last name Caron. That puts it at #2,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.99 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 25,077 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Caron surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Caron with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 25,077
Census rank
#2,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,919 bearers of the surname Caron in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.99 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Caron, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Caron
The surname Caron is of French origin, deriving from the old French word 'caro' meaning 'square' or 'angular'. It first emerged in the 12th century in the northern regions of France, particularly in Normandy and Picardy. The name likely referred to someone with a square build or angular features.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Caron dates back to the 13th century in the historical records of the town of Rouen in Normandy. It appears in the form 'Caron' in a census document from 1273. This spelling has remained consistent throughout the centuries.
In the 14th century, the name Caron can be found in the official records of the city of Amiens in Picardy. A notable figure was Jean Caron, a merchant and landowner who lived between 1325 and 1387. His name is documented in several municipal archives of the time.
The Caron surname also has a strong connection to the village of Caron, located in the Pas-de-Calais region of northern France. It is believed that some individuals adopted the name as a locative surname, referring to their place of origin or residence.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Caron surname was Philippe Caron, a French nobleman and military commander who lived from 1490 to 1560. He fought in the Italian Wars under King Francis I and is mentioned in various historical accounts of the time.
Another notable figure was René Caron, a French sculptor and architect born in 1615 in Rouen. He worked on several important projects in Paris, including the Church of Val-de-Grâce and the Château de Vincennes. His sculptures and architectural designs from the 17th century still stand today.
In the 18th century, the name Caron gained prominence with Jacques Caron, a French painter and engraver born in 1675 in Paris. He is renowned for his historical paintings and portraits, some of which are displayed in the Louvre Museum.
Jean-Baptiste Caron, born in 1789 in Normandy, was a prominent French lawyer and politician during the French Revolution. He served as a deputy in the National Convention and played a key role in drafting legal reforms.
The 19th century saw the birth of Adolphe Caron, a French composer and music educator, born in 1857 in Paris. He composed numerous works for orchestra and piano and taught at the Paris Conservatory.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Caron
Among Census respondents with the surname Caron, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Caron bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Caron surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 10,912
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 428
- Two or more races3.2% · 385
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 97
- Black or African American0.4% · 49
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 48
Timeline
Historical Census data for Caron
Caron appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#2,817
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,810
+467 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 4.34
Rank movement Down 127 places
2020
#2,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,919
-891 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 3.99
Rank movement Down 137 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,690 | 12,343 | 4.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,817 | 12,810 | 4.34 | +467 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 127 places |
| 2020 | #2,954 | 11,919 | 3.99 | -891 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 137 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Caron surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,817 | #2,954 | -4.9% |
| Count | 12,810 | 11,919 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 4.34 | 3.99 | -8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Caron bearers went from 12,810 to 11,919 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 137 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,817 to #2,954.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Caron
FAQ
Caron surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Caron?
Name Census estimates that about 13,668 living Americans carry the surname Caron. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 25,077 residents.
How common is Caron?
Caron ranks #2,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.99 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,919 people with the surname Caron. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,668), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.99 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.99 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Caron.
Has Caron become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Caron went from 12,810 recorded bearers to 11,919. That is a decrease of 891 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,817 to #2,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Caron?
Among Census respondents with the surname Caron, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Caron in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (10,912 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Caron appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (3.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Caron (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Caron mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a cartwright or wagon maker, derived from the Old French "carre" meaning "cart." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Caron (3.99 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Caron?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Caron on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.