2000
#7,674
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,999
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.48
Rare Last name
Charron
An occupational surname referring to a cart or carriage maker, derived from the Old French word "charron".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,321 Americans carry the last name Charron. That puts it at #8,419 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 79,323 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Charron 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
4.3K
1 in 79,323
Census rank
#8,419
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,768 bearers of the surname Charron in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8419th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Charron, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Charron
The surname Charron is of French origin, first appearing in records from the late Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French word "charron," which referred to a maker or builder of wheeled vehicles, particularly carts and wagons. This occupation was vital in medieval times when transportation largely relied on horse-drawn conveyances.
The name is believed to have originated in the northern regions of France, possibly in the provinces of Normandy or Picardy, where the trade of cart-making was prevalent. Early spellings of the name include Charon, Charun, and Charrun, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling common in those times.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Charron can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry mentions a "Roger le Charrun" as a landowner in Oxfordshire, England, suggesting that individuals with this surname had already migrated to other parts of Europe by the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named Pierre Charron (c. 1541-1603) gained recognition as a French philosopher and theologian. His most famous work, "De la Sagesse" (On Wisdom), explored themes of skepticism and stoicism and influenced later thinkers like René Descartes.
Another prominent individual with the Charron surname was Jean Charron (c. 1572-1635), a French architect and engineer. He is best known for his contributions to the design and construction of the Pont Neuf, one of the oldest bridges spanning the River Seine in Paris.
During the Renaissance period, the name Charron was also associated with the arts. Jean-Baptiste Charron (c. 1640-1704) was a renowned French painter and engraver who specialized in religious subjects and portrayed scenes from the Bible.
In the 19th century, a French politician and statesman named Pierre-Nicolas Charron (1783-1859) served as the Minister of Finance under King Louis-Philippe I. His efforts to reform the tax system and promote economic development earned him a reputation as a skilled administrator.
While the surname Charron has origins in France, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including Canada, where many French settlers established communities, bringing their names and traditions with them.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Charron
Among Census respondents with the surname Charron, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Charron 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 Charron surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 3,435
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 169
- Two or more races3.2% · 120
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 26
- Black or African American0.3% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Charron
Charron 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
#7,803
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,241
+242 bearers (+6.1%)
Per 100,000 1.44
Rank movement Down 129 places
2020
#8,419
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,768
-473 bearers (-11.2%)
Per 100,000 1.26
Rank movement Down 616 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,674 | 3,999 | 1.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,803 | 4,241 | 1.44 | +242 bearers (+6.1%) | Down 129 places |
| 2020 | #8,419 | 3,768 | 1.26 | -473 bearers (-11.2%) | Down 616 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 Charron 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 | #7,803 | #8,419 | -7.9% |
| Count | 4,241 | 3,768 | -11.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.44 | 1.26 | -12.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Charron bearers went from 4,241 to 3,768 (-11.2% change). The surname moved down 616 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,803 to #8,419.
FAQ
Charron surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Charron?
Name Census estimates that about 4,321 living Americans carry the surname Charron. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 79,323 residents.
How common is Charron?
Charron ranks #8,419 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.26 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,768 people with the surname Charron. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,321), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.26 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Charron.
Has Charron become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Charron went from 4,241 recorded bearers to 3,768. That is a decrease of 473 (-11.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,803 to #8,419.
What does the Census say about the background of Charron?
Among Census respondents with the surname Charron, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) 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 Charron in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (3,435 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Charron appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Hispanic (4.5%), 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 Charron (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 Charron mean?
An occupational surname referring to a cart or carriage maker, derived from the Old French word "charron". 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 Charron (1.26 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 have the last name Charron?
See how many Americans have the surname Charron on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.