Cute & Creative 'C' Names for Your Charming Child
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Care to call your kid Caecilius or Cairistiona? Maybe Callimaehlls or Cantilena is more your style? Or, okay, fine, you can branch out from Latin “C” names if you must, since cut-and-dry classics like Charles and Catherine are quite cool, too. Or if chic and cutting-edge is more your cup of tea, christen kiddo Colt or Cairo and they’ll never lack creativity.
If our baby names beginning with “A” left you unappeased, or you found our “B” name options boring, congratulations: Our “C” name picks have careened onto the scene, convincingly cute and clever enough to charm even the most cultivated critics. We’ve culled classic callouts like Charlotte and Christopher, of course, as well as clear contemporary champions, including Ciara and Cairo, plus a few unisex choices we’re certain will convert even your conservative cousin to the gender-neutral cause. Because who couldn’t care for a congenial kid called Cyprian, for crying out loud? Color us convinced.
Classic “C” names for girls
Catherine (name of queens past and…future?)
Cate (from Catherine, meaning “innocent”)
Caroline/Carolina (choose wisely, ie only if hearing Sweet Caroline” riffs for the rest of your life sounds amusing to you)
Camille/Camilla (sounds like royalty, and for good reason; the name means “free-born, noble”)
Carrie (not just for horror-movie fans — although if that’s your reasoning, RESPECT)
Charlotte (spider, Sex & the City, or little English princess — choose your inspiration)
Cheryl (means “dear one” or “darling” — so does Cher, if you prefer that badass variation)
Chloe (means “fresh-blooming”)
Cora (Cora means “maiden” in Old English, but don’t worry, she’s not doomed to be a damsel)
Cara (from the Celtic, meaning “friend,” and good enough for Delevingne)
Christina (Milian, Ricci, Queen of Sweden, this one’s legit no matter what)
Chelsea (for fans of Handler, or you know, the neighborhood in NYC)
Claudia (everyone’s favorite Babysitter’s Club sitter, c’mon you know I’m right)
Cassandra (she’ll be a jazz singer like Wilson or a prophetess like Shakespeare’s — or both)
Crystal (yes, this is under the “classics” category because the 1980s are now a classic, don’t @ me)
Clarissa (Dalloway or Explains It All, you pick)
Trendy “C” names for girls
Calla/Callie (after Calla lilies or meaning “lark,” either way a nature-name win)
Callista (because it’s fancier than naming her Ally McBeal)
Calliope (Supernatural‘s Felicia Day chose this for her daughter, Calliope Maeve)
Charla (apparently this “feminine” name means “manly,” and who doesn’t love an enigma?)
Chandra (Hindu goddess of the moon, aka this girl will glow)
Ceres (one of Prospero’s spirits in Shakespeare’s The Tempest)
Carys (Welsh for “love” — Catherine Zeta-Jones chose this one for her daughter Carys Douglas)
Coco (Chanel is a better namesake than the monkey, IMHO)
Cleo (not just for TV psychics anymore!)
Ciara (one of our fave candid celeb moms)
Cadence (meaning a “rhythmic flow of sounds,” this one is basically now a 21st century classic)
Coral (perfect for a little surfer girl)
Chrysalis (for folks who want you to know they read tarot)
Coventina (Celtic name meaning “water goddess”)
Unisex “C” names
Carey (they’ll have a Joni song for life)
Camby (a real gender-neutral up-and-comer)
Courtney (this one used to be mostly dudes, then mostly girls, and now it’s swinging back again)
Cameron (Diaz, Crowe, either celeb gender works)
Carmen (there’s the opera, the trench-coat-clad cartoon criminal, we love ’em all)
Carson (McCullers, not Ben Carson, TYVM)
Connie (“strong-willed or wise”)
Callan (a Gaelic name meaning “flowing water”)
Cyprian (see! who could resist?!)
Cassidy (from Caiside, meaning “clever”)
Crew (chic enough to be the name of the final — we hope?! — Gaines kid)
Carter (hey, why not take Beyoncé’s last name for your first-name pick?)
Classic “C” names for boys
Charles/Charlie (Brown, Harper, Prince Charles, choose your own adventure)
Carl (why not name your favorite child after every child’s favorite dog?)
Cedric (meaning “kind and loved”)
Calum (a Celtic name after the dove, a symbol of peace — and the pick of Jenna Dewan)
Concord (also means “peace”)
Connor/Conor (from the Irish ‘Coachuhhar’, meaning high desire, so, setting him up for success)
Caleb (meaning “abundance” or “bearing fruit”)
Cyrus (not just a particularly great film starring Jonah Hill and Marisa Tomei)
Christopher (Pratt, Pine, Evans, Hemsworth, oh my!)
Cody (means “helpful” and boy wouldn’t we want that kid around)
Corey (Corey Feldman, Corey Haim…talk about ’80s classics)
Christian (no, you don’t have to be Christian to be named Christian)
Campbell (a Scottish clan, a pop-art soup can, you can tell him his name came from either/or)
Carlton (teach him that Fresh Prince dance as soon as he’s born, okay?)
Carlo (means “strong,” and he’ll need that in 2020)
Trendy “C” names for boys
Cassius (Cassius Clay. Period.)
Cairo (the capital of Egypt, and Egypt is the name of Alicia Keys’ kid, so maybe they can be buddies?)
Court (and Spark? Twins? Too many Joni Mitchell references for one baby names article? Well okay then)
Cason (meaning “son of the marsh-dwellers,” making us want to read Where the Crawdads Sing all over again)
Cadmus (meaning “one who excels,” as he damn well will)
Colt (one of our fave rustic baby names)
Cheever (so this is maybe also my friend’s dog’s name but c’mon! John Cheever! So good!)
Caron (meaning “to love”)
Corwin (means “heart’s friend,” or, you know, an animal expert if you’re a Jeff Corwin fan)
Casper (bound to be even cuter than the cutest of ghosts)
Cayden (from the Gaelic word “cadáin” which means ‘fighter’ and aren’t we all)
Or maybe Chancellor strikes your fancy? If so, try on these musical Grammy-nominated names for size.
Launch Gallery: Grammy-Winning (or at Least Nominated) Names You'll Love for Your Baby
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