Charlan Family History

English (Sussex and Surrey): occupational name for a carter, carrier, or coachman, from Middle English (Old French) char, car ‘car, cart, carriage’ + Middle English man ‘man’. Compare Carter and Carman 2.

English (Sussex and Surrey): occupational name for someone who did odd jobs, from Middle English char(re), chere (Old English cier(r), cer(r), cear(r), cær(r)) ‘turn (of activity), small job, chore’ + man. Compare Carman 2.

In some cases probably also an Americanized form of Slovenian Čarman (see Carman 5).