Carson

(male), occasionally (female) Mainly North American: transferred use of the mainly Scottish surname, which is of uncertain derivation. The first known bearer of the surname is a certain Robert de Carsan (or de Acarson), recorded in 1276; the ‘de’ suggests derivation from a place name, but no suitable place has been identified. Among Protestants in Northern Ireland, it is sometimes bestowed in honour of Edward Carson (1854–1935), the Dublin barrister and politician who was a violent opponent of Home Rule for Ireland. In America the popularity of the name may have been affected by the legendary Missouri frontiersman Kit Carson (1809–68).