2000
#35,522
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 599
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.22
Very Rare Last name
Karson
A patronymic surname derived from Karl or Charles, meaning "son of Charles".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 612 Americans carry the last name Karson. That puts it at #43,557 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 560,056 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Karson 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.
Bearers in the US
612
1 in 560,056
Census rank
#43,557
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
534
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 534 bearers of the surname Karson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 43557th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Karson, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Karson
The surname Karson has its origins in Scandinavia, with roots tracing back to the Old Norse language. It is believed to have been derived from the personal name Kári, which means "the curly-haired one." This name was relatively common in medieval Scandinavia and was often combined with various suffixes to create surnames.
One of the earliest known records of the name Karson can be found in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of medieval Norwegian diplomas and documents dating back to the 13th century. In these records, the name appears spelled as "Karsson," which was a common patronymic form in Old Norse, indicating "son of Kári."
As the name spread across Scandinavia, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Karsson, Karesen, and Karsen, reflecting regional linguistic differences. It is also thought that the surname may have been influenced by place names in Scandinavia that contained elements related to the word "kár" or "kar," meaning "a curve" or "a bend."
One of the earliest recorded individuals bearing the name Karson was Ivar Karsson, a Norwegian farmer who lived in the 14th century. Historical records mention him in connection with a land dispute in the Trondheim region of Norway.
Another notable bearer of the name was Olav Karson, a Swedish merchant who lived in the 16th century. He was involved in the Baltic Sea trade and is mentioned in several commercial records from the Hanseatic League.
In the 17th century, the name can be found in the records of the Swedish colony of New Sweden, located in present-day Delaware and Pennsylvania. One of the earliest settlers was Nils Karson, who arrived in the colony in 1638 and is listed in the New Sweden colony census of 1643.
A prominent figure with the surname Karson was Erik Karson, a Norwegian military officer who served in the Danish-Norwegian army during the Napoleonic Wars. He was born in 1776 and is known for his participation in the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801.
Another individual worth mentioning is Ingrid Karson, a Swedish-American author and journalist who lived from 1888 to 1964. She wrote several books about her experiences as an immigrant in the United States and was a vocal advocate for women's rights and social justice.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Karson
Among Census respondents with the surname Karson, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Karson 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 Karson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.9% · 464
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 27
- Two or more races4.9% · 26
- Black or African American1.7% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Karson
Karson 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
#38,439
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 576
-23 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.20
Rank movement Down 2,917 places
2020
#43,557
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 534
-42 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.18
Rank movement Down 5,118 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #35,522 | 599 | 0.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #38,439 | 576 | 0.20 | -23 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 2,917 places |
| 2020 | #43,557 | 534 | 0.18 | -42 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 5,118 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 Karson 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 | #38,439 | #43,557 | -13.3% |
| Count | 576 | 534 | -7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.20 | 0.18 | -10.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Karson bearers went from 576 to 534 (-7.3% change). The surname moved down 5,118 positions in the national ranking, going from #38,439 to #43,557.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Karson
FAQ
Karson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Karson?
Name Census estimates that about 612 living Americans carry the surname Karson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 560,056 residents.
How common is Karson?
Karson ranks #43,557 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.18 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 534 people with the surname Karson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (612), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.18 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Karson.
Has Karson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Karson went from 576 recorded bearers to 534. That is a decrease of 42 (-7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #38,439 to #43,557.
What does the Census say about the background of Karson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Karson, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Karson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.9% (464 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Karson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.9%), Hispanic (5.1%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Karson (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 Karson mean?
A patronymic surname derived from Karl or Charles, meaning "son of Charles". 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 Karson (0.18 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 many people share the surname Karson?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.