Karson is a spelling variant of Carson, a Scottish surname of uncertain origin that is often explained as "son of Carr" or traced to a lost place name. Frontiersman Kit Carson made it a first name in the American West, and the k spelling appeared in the 1990s alongside Kayden and Kameron. Karson has been in the US top 1000 all century, peaked at number 265 in 2018 and ranks number 453 in 2025.