Meaning and Origin
What does the name Charon mean? Keep reading to find the user submitted meanings, dictionary definitions, and more.
Origin and Meaning of Charon
User Submitted Origins
Greek
82%
American
9%
French
9%
User Submitted Meanings
- According to a user from Virginia, U.S., the name Charon means "of keen gaze".
International Interest
Also see international interest
Webster's Unabridged Dictionary
noun Cha"ron
The son of Erebus and Nox, whose office it was to ferry the souls of the dead over the Styx, a river of the infernal regions.
Etymology: L., fr. Gr. �
Other Dictionary Sources
- (Greek mythology) the ferryman who brought the souls of the dead across the river Styx or the river Acheron to Hades
Wiktionary
From Ancient Greek Χάρων (Khárōn). The name of the moon was coined by American astronomer James W. Christy in 1978, in reference to a fictional moon of Pluto in a novel by Edmond Hamilton but also influenced by its similarity to Char, a pet name for Charlene, his wife's name — hence the alternative American pronunciation, which is used at NASA.
- (Greek mythology) The ferryman of Hades, who rowed the shades of the dead across the river Styx.
- (astronomy) The largest of the five moons of Pluto.
- (poetic) Any ferryman.
Charon was also found in the following language(s): Translingual and Czech