Find out how popular the first name Charon has been for the last 40 years (from 1974 to 2013) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Popularity of Charon by gender

Based on the last 40 years of data, Charon is more commonly used as a female name, with approximately 69% of people named Charon being female.

For the most recent data in 2013, there were 5 male babies and 0 female babies born with the name Charon.

It's also interesting to see that despite Charon being historically a mostly female name, the most recent data from 2013 shows a shift in the trend, with more male babies being named Charon.

The history of the first name Charon

The given name Charon originates from ancient Greek mythology and literature. It is derived from the Greek word "Kharont-", which means "the ferryman" or "the fierce one". The name refers to the mythological figure Charon, who was the ferryman responsible for transporting the souls of the dead across the rivers Styx and Acheron, which divided the world of the living from the realm of the dead.

Charon was an essential character in Greek mythology, appearing in various ancient texts such as Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, as well as Virgil's Aeneid. He was often depicted as an older man with a stern expression, holding a long pole used to guide his boat across the rivers of the underworld. Those who could not pay the fare for the ferry were doomed to wander the shores for a hundred years before being allowed to cross.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Charon can be found in the works of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato, who lived from 428 BC to 348 BC. In his dialogue "Phaedo", Plato describes Charon as the ferryman who guided the souls of the dead across the rivers of the underworld.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Charon. One of the most famous was Charon of Lampsacus, a Greek philosopher and historian who lived in the 5th century BC. He is known for writing a history of Persia and for his works on ethics and politics.

Another notable figure was Charon of Thebes, a Greek sculptor who lived in the 4th century BC. He is best known for creating the sculptures that adorned the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

In the field of astronomy, Charon is the name given to the largest moon of the dwarf planet Pluto. It was discovered in 1978 by the American astronomer James W. Christy and named after the mythological ferryman by the discoverers of Pluto, Clyde W. Tombaugh and Venetia Burney.

In literature, the name Charon has been used by several authors, including John Milton in his epic poem "Paradise Lost" and Dante Alighieri in his "Divine Comedy". In both works, Charon is depicted as the ferryman who guides souls across the river Acheron into the underworld.

Lastly, Charon was the name of a character in the popular book and film series "Harry Potter" by J.K. Rowling. In the series, Charon is a minor character who works as the ferryman for the Hogwarts Express, transporting students across the Black Lake to the school's grounds.

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Charon was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Charon, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!