125 top baby names beginning with C
Looking for names beginning with C for your little cherub? Well then, come with us because we’ve compiled a cracking list of baby names beginning with C for your cutie.
By Louise Baty | Last updated Apr 29, 2024
Do you want to choose a name beginning with C for your baby girl or baby boy? Perhaps there’s something special about the letter C - it may be a family tradition or it may be personal choice. Whatever your reasons for wanting to choose a name beginning with C, we’re here for it and have come up with a list of corkers for you to choose from.
How we chose the top names beginning with C
To compile our list of baby names beginning with C, we first of all checked out the latest baby names list for 2021 (released October 2022) by the ONS for names that begin with a C in England and Wales. We also referred to the Central Statistics Office and Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency for Irish names that begin with a C and the National Records of Scotland for Scottish names beginning with C.
Then we checked our own baby names content, selecting names beginning with C from our baby name guides including most popular baby names, top boy names and top girl names.
Lastly, we turned to parents on our Baby Names forum to find out which names beginning with C they were discussing and recommending to other Mumsnetters.
Ready? Come with us to check out the top baby names beginning with C.
Girl names beginning with C
1. Cadi
Origin: Welsh
Meaning: Pure or clear
2. Caitlin
Origin: Welsh
Meaning: Pure
3. Callie
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Beautiful
4. Camilla
Origin: Latin, Italian
Meaning: Helper to the priest
5. Candi (or Candy)
Origin: English, French
Meaning: Sweet
6. Candice
Origin: Latin
Meaning: White, pure, sincere
7. Calliope
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Beautiful voice
8. Carey
Origin: Irish
Meaning: Dark-haired
9. Carmen
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Song or poem
10. Cara
Origin: Latin, Italian, Irish, Spanish
Meaning: Dear, friend, darling beloved
11. Carrie
Origin: American, French, Latin (short form of Caroline or Carol)
Meaning: Free woman
12. Carys
Origin: Welsh
Meaning: Love
13. Caroline
Origin: English, French
Meaning: Free woman
14. Cassandra
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Shining or excelling man
15. Cassia
Origin: Greek, Latin
Meaning: Cinnamon
16. Cassie
Origin: Greek (diminutive of Cassandra)
Meaning: Shining or excelling man
17. Catherine
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Pure or clear
18. Catriona (or Caitriona)
Origin: Irish, Scottish
Meaning: Pure
19. Cece
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Blind
20. Cécile (or Cecile)
Origin: French
Meaning: Blind
21. Cecilia
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Blind
22. Cecily
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Blind
23. Celeste
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Sky/heavenly
24. Celia
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Heaven, celestial
25. Cerys
Origin: Welsh (variant of Carys)
Meaning: Love
26. Chantal
Origin: French
Meaning: Stone
27. Charissa
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Grace or kindness
28. Charlize
Origin: Afrikaans (South Africa)
Meaning: Free man/woman
29. Charlotte
Origin: French
Meaning: Free woman
30. Chelsea
Origin: Old English
Meaning: Chalk landing place
31. Cherry
Origin: English
Meaning: Cherry tree/good fortune
32. Christina
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Follower of Christ
33. Christine
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Follower of Christ
34. Ciara
Origin: Irish
Meaning: Little dark one
35. Claudia
Origin: Ancient Roman
Meaning: Enclosure or lame
36. Cleo
Origin: English
Meaning: Glory
37. Clementine
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Merciful or gentle
38. Chloe
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Green shoot (meaning new growth)
39. Chitra
Origin: Sanskrit
Meaning: Picture
40. Claire (or Clare)
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Bright, famous
41. Clara
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Clear and bright
42. Clodagh
Origin: Irish
Meaning: Wash or river
43. Clover
Origin: English
Meaning: The clover plant
44. Coco
Origin: French
Meaning: Victorious
45. Colette
Origin: Greek, French (short form of Nicole),
Meaning: People of victory
46. Colleen
Origin: Irish
Meaning: Young woman
47. Connie (or Conny)
Origin: English
Meaning: Steadfast
48. Constance
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Steadfast
49. Cora
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Maiden or young girl
50. Coral
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Rock or maiden of the sea
51. Coralie
Origin: French
Meaning: Coral
52. Coraline
Origin: French
Meaning: Maiden
53. Cordelia
Origin: English
Meaning: Heart or daughter of the sea
54. Corinne
Origin: English, French, Greek
Meaning: Beautiful maiden
55. Cosima
Origin: Italian, Greek
Meaning: Order, beauty, universe
56. Cressida
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Gold
57. Cristina
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Follower of Christ
58. Crystal
Origin: English
Meaning: Referring to the mineral crystal
59. Cushla
Origin: Irish
Meaning: Charming or beloved
60. Cynthia
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Moon goddess or woman from Kynthos
What Mumsnetters say about baby girl names beginning with C
“Chloe? I love it...such a beautiful name.” - Mumsnet user, Comedycook
“Cora is my favourite name ever! Beautiful. The other two on your list (Clara and Cara) are nice too!” - Mumsnet user, BiggerBoat1
Boy names beginning with C
61. Cadfael
Origin: Welsh
Meaning: Battle prince
62. Cael
Origin: Irish
Meaning: Slender
63. Caelan
Origin: Scottish Gaelic
Meaning: Powerful warrior
64. Cai
Origin: Welsh
Meaning: Rejoice
65. Cain
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: Possession
66. Caius
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Rejoice
67. Caleb
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: Faithful
68. Callahan
Origin: Irish
Meaning: Bright-headed
69. Callum
Origin: Scottish, Latin
Meaning: Dove
70. Calix
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Chalice
71. Calvin
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Bald, hairless
72. Camden
Origin: English
Meaning: Winding valley
73. Carl
Origin: German
Meaning: Free man
74. Carlo
Origin: Italian
Meaning: Free man
75. Carlos
Origin: Spanish, Portuguese
Meaning: Free man
76. Carson
Origin: Scottish, Irish
Meaning: Son of the marsh dwellers
77. Carter
Origin: English
Meaning: Cart driver
78. Cash
Origin: English, Latin
Meaning: Hollow
79. Casimir
Origin: Polish, Slavic
Meaning: Destroyer of peace
80. Casper (or Caspar)
Origin: Persian
Meaning: Treasurer
81. Caspian
Origin: English
Meaning: Named after the Caspian Sea
82. Cassian
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Empty or hollow
83. Cassius
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Empty or hollow
84. Cecil
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Blind or dim-sighted
85. Cédric
Origin: Celtic
Meaning: Kind ruler
86. Chang
Origin: Chinese
Meaning: Eternal
87. Channing
Origin: English
Meaning: Young wolf or official of the church
88. Charles
Origin: German
Meaning: Free man
89. Chase
Origin: English
Meaning: To hunt
90. Chen
Origin: Chinese
Meaning: Morning
91. Chester
Origin: Old English
Meaning: Fortress
92. Chidi
Origin: Igbo
Meaning: God is with us
93. Chip
Origin: English
Meaning: Diminutive of Charles, meaning ‘man’
94. Christian
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Follower of Christ
95. Christo
Origin: Greek, Latin
Meaning: Christ-bearer
96. Christopher
Origin: Greek
Meaning: Christ-bearer
97. Ciarán
Origin: Irish Gaelic
Meaning: Dark-haired
98. Cian
Origin: Scottish Gaelic, Irish Gaelic
Meaning: Ancient
99. Cillian
Origin: Irish Gaelic
Meaning: Warrior
100. Clarence
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Bright or clear
101. Clayton
Origin: English
Meaning: Clay town or village
102. Clinton
Origin: English
Meaning: Settlement on a hill
103. Cohen
Origin: Hebrew, Jewish
Meaning: Priest
104. Cole
Origin: Old English
Meaning: Coal
105. Colt
Origin: English
Meaning: Young horse
106. Colton
Origin: English
Meaning: From the coal or dark town
107. Conan
Origin: Celtic
Meaning: Little wolf
108. Connal
Origin: Scottish
Meaning: Strong wolf
109. Connor (or Conor)
Origin: Irish Gaelic
Meaning: Lover of hounds
110. Conrad
Origin: German
Meaning: Bold advisor
111. Constantin
Origin: Latin
Meaning: Constant, steadfast
112. Cooper
Origin: English
Meaning: Barrel maker
113. Cormac
Origin: Scottish Gaelic
Meaning: Son of the charioteer
114. Cory
Origin: Irish
Meaning: The hollow
115. Cosmo
Origin: Greek, Italian, English
Meaning: Order, beauty, universe
116. Creed
Origin: English
Meaning: Faith
117. Cruz
Origin: Spanish
Meaning: Cross
118. Cyrus
Origin: Persian
Meaning: Sun
What Mumsnetters say about baby boy names beginning with C
“I know a mid-20s Caleb. I like it a lot.” - Mumsnet user, MirandaBlu
“My friend's Grandson is called Caius, which I'd never heard before.” - Mumsnet user, uncomfortablydumb53
Gender-neutral names beginning with C
119. Cameron (or Camryn)
Origin: Scottish, Irish
Meaning: Crooked nose
120. Casey
Origin: Irish
Meaning: Vigilant or watchful
121. Cary
Origin: Welsh origin
Meaning: Pure
122. Charlie
Origin: English (derived from Charles, Charlotte or Caroline)
Meaning: Free man or woman
123. Cody
Origin: Irish Gaelic
Meaning: Helpful person
124. Colby
Origin: Old Norse
Meaning: Someone who lives in a coal town
125. Cove
Origin: English
Meaning: Sheltered bay or small inlet
What Mumsnetters say about gender-neutral names beginning with C
“Casey? I really love this name for a boy. It's a more common name for a girl in the UK but boy in America.” - Mumsnet user, nowayhomer
How to choose a baby name beginning with C
Work out if you want your baby’s name to have the ‘hard C’ sound - in which case, you’ll love names including Caroline and Clinton.
If you prefer the ‘soft ch’ sound, look to Charles, Channing and Charlize.
Don’t forget that some C names throw out the rule book. We’re looking at you, Chloe, a ‘ch’ name which starts with a ‘hard C’ sound and Cyrus, which starts with an ‘s’ sound.
Do you want a popular baby name? Then pick one of the most well-used names in England and Wales listed by ONS. Use the Central Statistics Office for Ireland and the National Records of Scotland for Scottish names.
If you want something less popular, check out the lists mentioned above and avoid the names on them!
Look for more inspiration on Mumsnet by reading all our baby names for more great ideas.
Check out Mumsnet’s Baby Names forum to see which C names Mumsnetters are going crazy about.
Consider some of the great British names beginning with C, including Cordelia, Carys, Ciarán, Connal and Caspian.
Look at royal names - Charles, Camilla, Catherine, Charlotte and Carlos are some of the C names belonging to current and historic royalty, both in the UK and abroad.
Jump on the short name trend and choose a name which sounds even snappier when it starts with a ‘hard C’ - Cara, Cleo, Cian and Coco fit the bill.
Nature, fruit, gems and flowers are great for inspiration; how about Cherry, Clementine, Crystal, Coral, Clover and Cove?
Emulate one of the many A-list celebs who have names beginning with C. There’s Cillian (Murphy), Charlize (Theron) and Channing (Tatum) for starters.
Consider the initials of your baby’s full name (first, middle and surname) together - do they spell anything embarrassing? Avoid at all costs if so.
Think about whether anyone else in your family has an initial C name - when your child gets mail, it could be confusing if someone else in your household has the same initial and surname.
What is the best C name for a girl?
The most popular girl’s names beginning with C are Chloe and Clara, which appear in the latest ONS top 100 list. The following C names are also really popular with Mumsnetters on our Baby Names forum: Clodagh, Cassia, Claudia and Cara.
What is the best C name for a boy?
The boys' names beginning with C that are currently most popular are: Caleb, Carter, Charles, Charlie and Chester. These all appear in the latest ONS list. Additionally, Mumsnetters on our Baby Names forum rate initial C names for boys, including Christopher, Conal, Cooper and Conrad.
What are rare names that start with C?
Rare names starting with C are names that don’t appear on the most popular lists. These include Cordelia, Celeste, Cary and Chip.
About the author
Louise Baty writes parenting content for Mumsnet, producing product round-ups, travel guides and baby name articles. She’s also written content for Mumsnet’s sister site, Gransnet.
Originally from West Yorkshire and now based in Nottinghamshire, Louise has worked as a features writer for consumer magazines and national newspapers for 20 years. She specialises in parenting and lifestyle features and emotional true life first-person interviews and has authored four non-fiction books on parenting and grandparenting.
Mum to two tweenagers, Louise’s own baby name choosing days may be long gone. However, she admits to having spent a LONG time deciding on her DCs’ names, together with her partner.
For this reason, Louise has a particular interest in baby names. She understands how difficult it can be to narrow down a short list from your long list of baby names, either during pregnancy or during the sleep-deprived days following the birth of your baby.
By compiling comprehensive and easy-to-follow baby name round-ups for Mumsnet, she hopes to provide inspiration and support to parents-to-be who are looking for the perfect name for their baby.