Derived from the medieval 'care-Less' the name is a nickname surname for a merry and jovial person - 'one free from worry and cares'. The name was obviously popular and in well recorded for the 13th Century as Careles, Careless, Carelesse. The name is particularly prominent in history in that Col. Carless saved the life of King Charles II after the Battle of Worcester in 1651, supporting him in the 'The Royal Oak', whilist Cromwellspatrol scoured the Area. He was greatly rewarded after the Restoration in 1660.(Matthew Corless - 1847, Liverpool.) The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Wilhelmus Careles. which was dated 1379, The Yorkshire Poll Tax Roll. during the reign of King Richard II, Richard of Bordeaux, 1378 - 1400. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.