Baby Names That Start With the Letter "C"

For some families, it's important to have names that coordinate. Perhaps they all fall into a seasonal theme, perhaps the kids are named after the parents' favorite fictional characters. One popular way parents coordinate their kids' names is by having them all start with the same letter—especially if the parents happen to have names that also start with that letter. Or maybe you just really want a name with a certain letter!

If you're a family looking to add some names that start with "C" to the mix, there are a lot of popular options, as well as some obscure options that will make your child unique. And, there are also plenty of gender-neutral names that start with "C" for you to choose from. Find 36 names that start with "C" here.

Cadence

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: Rhythm
• Alternative Spellings & Variations: Kadence, Caedence, Kaydence
• Peak Popularity: The name Cadence didn't come into prominence until the 2000s. Its most popular year was 2007 when it hit 199 on the popularity list in the United States.
  

Caitlin

• Origin: Irish
• Meaning: Pure
• Alternative Spellings & Variations: Catelyn, Caitlyn, Katelyn, Kaitlyn, Kaitlin, Catherine, Katie, Caity
• Famous Namesakes: There are a number of famous Caitlins, Kates, and Katies, including actress Caitlin Carmichael, Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton, and Olympie swimmer Katie Ledecky
• Peak Popularity: The name Caitlin has been popular since the 1970s. Its most popular year was 1988, when it was the 44th most popular name for baby girls born in the United States.

Caitriona

• Origin: Irish
• Meaning: Pure, chaste
• Alternative Spellings & Variations: Katrina, Catrina
• Famous Namesakes: Outlander star Caitriona Balfe
• Peak Popularity: Caitriona hasn't yet cracked the most popular names list in the United States but is more popular in Ireland, where it originated.

Caleb

• Origin: Hebrew
• Meaning: Whole-hearted
• Alternative Spellings & Variations: Kaleb, Caeleb
• Famous Namesakes: Stranger Things star Caleb McLaughlin and Olympic swimmer Caeleb Dressel. Caleb is also a Biblical name.
• Peak Popularity: Caleb has been in the top 100 names for boys since the '90s. Its most popular year was 2009 when it peaked at 39th place.

Callie

• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: Beautiful
• Alternative Spellings & Variations: Cali, Cally, Kali, Calliope
• Famous Namesakes: Callie is often a nickname, but there are some celebrities who go by Callie, including screenwriter Callie Khouri and actress Callie Thorne.
• Peak Popularity: The name Callie has grown in popularity in recent years. The most popular year for the name was 2020 when it hit No. 165 on the Social Security Administration list of baby names.

Calum

• Origin: Scottish
• Meaning: Dove
• Alternative Spellings & Variations: Callum, Kalum
• Famous Namesakes: Musicians Calum Hood and Calum Scott
• Peak Popularity: Calum didn't enter the Social Security Administration's top 1,000 baby names until 2019, and ranked in at number 222 in 2023.

Calvin

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: Bald
• Alternative Spellings & Variations: Cal
• Famous Namesakes: DJ Calvin Harris, rapper Snoop Dogg (whose real name is Calvin Broadus), football player Calvin Johnson
• Peak Popularity: Calvin has always been a popular name for baby boys in the United States. It's steadily grown in popularity, though its most popular year was 1924.

Cameron

• Origin: Scottish
• Meaning: Bent nose
• Alternative Spellings & Variations: Cam, Kameron, Kam
• Famous Namesakes: There are a number of famous people named Cameron, thanks to this being a gender-neutral name. Actress Cameron Diaz, rapper Wiz Khalifa (whose real name is Cameron Jibril Thomaz), and filmmaker Cameron Crowe are some of the most well-known.
• Peak Popularity: The most popular year for Cameron as a boy's name was 2000 when it hit No. 31 on the list. It was 1999 that it was the most popular for girls, though it only hit No. 176 on the list.

Camilla

• Origin: Italian
• Meaning: Perfect
• Alternative Spellings & Variations: Camila, Cam, Cami, Cammy, Camille
• Famous Namesakes: Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla Parker Bowles, singer Camila Cabello
• Peak Popularity: The name Camilla has grown in popularity since 2000, with its most popular year being 2020.

Candace

• Origin: African
• Meaning: Queen mother
• Alternative Spellings & Variations: Kandace, Candice, Kandice, Kandiss
• Famous Namesakes: Full House star Candace Cameron Bure, Sex and the City author Candace Bushnell, and basketball star Candace Parker
• Peak Popularity: Candace was most popular in 1984 when it hit No. 101 on the list of popular baby names.

Carlos

• Origin: Spanish
• Meaning: Free man
• Alternative Spellings & Variations: Carl, Cal
• Famous Namesakes: Singer Carlos Santana and baseball player Carlos Beltran are two of the most well-known people named Carlos.
• Peak Popularity: Carlos has long been a popular name in the United States, though its biggest year was 2001.

Caroline

• Origin: French
• Meaning: Free
• Alternative Spellings & Variations: Carolina, Carol, Caro, Coraline
• Famous Namesakes: Tennis player Caroline Wozniacki, fashion designer Carolina Herrera
• Peak Popularity: Caroline has been in the top 100 baby names since 1994, but its most popular year was 2018.

Carter

• Origin: English
• Meaning: Driver of a cart
• Alternative Spellings & Variations: Karter
• Famous Namesakes: Dave Matthews Band drummer Carter Beauford and former President Jimmy Carter are two famous Carters.
• Peak Popularity: Carter has been rising in popularity for the past several years. Its most popular year for baby boys was 2018.

Casey

• Origin: Irish
• Meaning: Vigilant in War
• Alternative Spellings & Variations: Casie, Kacie, Kaci, Kasey
• Famous Namesakes: Famed TV host Casey Kasem, actor Casey Affleck, and actress Casey Wilson
• Peak Popularity: The most popular year for Casey as a boy's name was 1987, and its most popular year for girls was 1986.

Casper

• Origin: German
• Meaning: Treasurer
• Alternative Spellings & Variations: Kasper, Caspar, Cas
• Famous Namesakes: Perhaps the most famous Casper is the fictional Casper the friendly ghost.
• Peak Popularity: Casper is an old-fashioned name that fell off the popularity list in the 1930s. However, in the early 1900s, it was quite popular, with its biggest year being 1907.

Cassandra

• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: To excel over men
• Alternative Spellings & Variations: Kassandra, Cassie, Kassy, Cass, Sandra, Sandy, Kassie
• Famous Namesakes: Golden Globe-winning actress and singer Andra Day's full name is Cassandra Monique Batie
• Peak Popularity: The name Cassandra has been popular since the 1980s, with its most popular year being 1990. In that year, it was No. 49 on the top baby names list.

Charles

• Origin: English
• Meaning: Free man
• Alternative Spellings & Variations: Charlie
• Famous Namesakes: Prince Charles, writer Charles Dickens, actor Charlie Chaplin
• Peak Popularity: In the early 1900s, Charles was consistently in the top 10 baby names in the United States.

Charlotte

• Origin: French
• Meaning: Free
• Alternative Spellings & Variations: Charlie, Lottie
• Famous Namesakes: Singers Charlotte Church and Charli XCX, actress Charlotte Rampling, and Princess Charlotte of Cambridge
• Peak Popularity: Charlotte has been pretty popular for years, though it's seen an increase in popularity recently.

Chase

• Origin: English
• Meaning: Hunter
• Famous Namesakes: Outer Banks star Chase Stokes, singer Lil Huddy (whose real name is Chase Hudson), and baseball player Chase Utley
• Peak Popularity: Chase's most popular year for baby boys was 2009 when it was No. 61 on the Social Security Administration baby names list.

Chelsea

• Origin: English
• Meaning: Limestone
• Alternative Spellings & Variations: Chelsey, Kelsey, Kelsie
• Famous Namesakes: Chelsea Clinton and comedians Chelsea Handler and Chelsea Peretti
• Peak Popularity: Chelsea was popular in the 1980s and 1990s with 1992 being its peak.

Chloe

• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: Verdant and blooming
• Alternative Spellings & Variations: Khloe, Cleo
• Famous Namesakes: Khloe Kardashian, actress Chloe Bennett
• Peak Popularity: Since the 1990s, the name Chloe has been quite popular for baby girls. Its peak year was 2010.

Christian

• Origin: English
• Meaning: Follower of Christ
• Alternative Spellings & Variations: Kristian, Kris, Chris
• Famous Namesakes: Author Hans Christian Andersen, actor Christian Bale, fashion designer Christian Dior
• Peak Popularity: It was in 2006 that Christian hit its peak on the Social Security Administration's list of baby names for boys.

Christina

• Origin: English
• Meaning: Follower of Christ
• Alternative Spellings & Variations: Cristina, Kristina
• Famous Namesakes: Grammy-winning singer Christina Aguilera and actress Christina Ricci are two of the most well-known Christinas.
• Peak Popularity: Christina found its peak popularity in the 1970s and 1980s, with 1985 being the biggest year.

Christopher

• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: Christ-bearer
• Alternative Spellings & Variations: Chris, Kristopher, Kris, Kristofer
• Famous Namesakes: There are a ton of famous people named Chris or Christopher, including comedian Chris Rock, all of the Hollywood Chrises (Chris Pratt, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Pine), and Oscar-nominated director Christopher Nolan.
• Peak Popularity: From the 1960s through the 1990s, Christopher remained one of the most popular names for baby boys in the U.S. It sat at No. 2 on the Social Security Administration list for several years.

Claire

• Origin: French
• Meaning: Illustrious or enlightened
• Alternative Spellings & Variations: Clare, Clara
• Famous Namesakes: Actresses Claire Danes and Claire Forlani
• Peak Popularity: Claire has been in the top 100 names since 1998 but has always been fairly popular.

Clara

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: Illustrious
• Alternative Spellings & Variations: Klara, Claire
• Famous Namesakes: The main character from The Nutcracker is named Clara.
• Peak Popularity: Clara is an old-fashioned name that was popular in the early 1900s. It fell out of style a few decades ago, but with the resurgence of old names, it grew in popularity again starting in the 1980s.

Claudia

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: Lame
• Alternative Spellings & Variations: Klaudia
• Famous Namesakes: Supermodel Claudia Schiffer
• Peak Popularity: Claudia was quite popular in the 1950s but has fallen off a bit since then.

Cole

• Origin: English
• Meaning: Victory of the people
• Alternative Spellings & Variations: Kole
• Famous Namesakes: Actors Cole Sprouse and Cole Hauser and composer Cole Porter
• Peak Popularity: Cole saw its peak popularity in the early 2000s.

Collin

• Origin: English
• Meaning: Victory of the people
• Alternative Spellings & Variations: Colin, Kollin, Kolin
• Famous Namesakes: Actors Colin Firth and Colin Farrell, as well as baseball players Collin Cowgill and Collin Ballester
• Peak Popularity: Collin saw its peak in the 1990s, though Colin has always been a more popular spelling of the name.

Connor

• Origin: Irish
• Meaning: Descendent of the hound
• Alternative Spellings & Variations: Conor, Conner
• Famous Namesakes: Gossip Girl actor Connor Paolo, YouTube star Connor Franta
• Peak Popularity: The name Connor has consistently been popular since the turn of the millennium. It's stayed in the top 100 names for boys every year, peaking at 38 in 2004.

Constance

• Origin: English
• Meaning: Constant
• Famous Namesakes: Actress Constance Wu
• Peak Popularity: Constance has decreased in popularity over the years, falling off the charts after 1999, but it saw its peak in 1949.

Cooper

• Origin: English
• Meaning: Barrel maker
• Alternative Spellings & Variations: Kooper
• Famous Namesakes: Actor Cooper Barnes and football player Cooper Helfet
• Peak Popularity: Cooper has been in the top 100 names for boys since 2007.

Courtney

• Origin: English
• Meaning: French dynasty
• Alternative Spellings & Variations: Kourtney, Courtni, Courtnie, Courteney
• Famous Namesakes: There are plenty of famous people named Courtney, both men and women—including actress Courteney Cox, actor Courtney B. Vance, and musician Courtney Love.
• Peak Popularity: Courtney was really popular in the 1970s and 1980s but has since decreased in popularity.

Cree

• Origin: Native American
• Meaning: Tribe name
• Famous Namesakes: The most notable usage of the name Cree is for the Native American tribe.
• Peak Popularity: Cree has not cracked the top 1,000 names for babies in the U.S. but is a beautiful option for your own baby.

Curtis

• Origin: Latin
• Meaning: Courteous
• Alternative Spellings & Variations: Curt, Kurtis
• Famous Namesakes: Actor and rapper 50 Cent's real name is Curtis Jackson.
• Peak Popularity: Curtis was a popular name in the 1940s and 1950s before peaking in 1963.

Cy

• Origin: Greek
• Meaning: Lordly
• Alternative Spellings & Variations: Cyril
• Famous Namesakes: Famed baseball player Cy Young.
• Peak Popularity: The longer form of Cy—Cyril—is a popular old-fashioned name and saw its peak in the U.S. in 1902.