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31 Creative & Classic Girl Names That Start With “C”
They’re all cute, like your little baby girl is going to be.
by Jennifer Parris
You’ve got everything ready for the arrival of your baby. You’ve got enough onesies, swaddles, and newborn diapers to get you through the first few weeks of Baby’s life. You’ve even managed to maneuver your little one’s car seat into position in your vehicle (rear-facing, of course) and have the crib decked out for your little darling. But what you don’t have, though, is a baby name for your little nugget. If you’re wracking your brain trying to come up with names (and you’re partial to those with a certain letter), then these girl names that start with “C” might completely captivate you.
But coming up with girl names that start with “C” can be challenging. Do you want a soft “C” sound that mimics the letter “S” or a hard “C” sound that sounds like a “K”? Luckily, you won’t be locked into one type of name, since girl names that start with “C” range from classic (think Charlotte or Cordelia) to gender-neutral (Charlie, Cai, or Campbell) to downright adorable (Claire, Callie, and Cora). Once you’ve decided on the letter, then it’s as simple as figuring out what style you want your child’s name to have, and picking out a name that you’ll love as much as your little one. And these 31 “C” names for baby girls is a good place to start.
1
Claire
Your baby is the light of your life. So why wouldn’t you name her Claire? Claire is a girl’s name of French origin and means “light”, “bright” or “clear”. Claire can be spelled with or without that middle “I”, but if you’re thinking of dropping that ending “E”, just note that Clair is the boy version of this beautiful name.
2
Charlotte
Maybe you’ve loved the name Charlotte since you read Charlotte’s Web in elementary school — or from those Sex and the City days. Well, now’s your chance to name your own sweet baby the same name. Of French origin, Charlotte is a girls’ name which means “free”. It’s also the feminine version of Charles.
3
Chloe
A natural name, Chloe means “young green shoot”. It’s apparently a very old name, having originated in Greece back in the second century. It can also mean “blooming” or “fertility”, too. Of course, the Chloe you might be more familiar with is part of the Kardashian clan, although her name is spelled with a K (but you probably already knew that).
4
Camila
Camila is a religious name, but not in the way you might think. Camila derives from St. Camillus de Lellis, who healed the sick in the 1500s. As such, Camila (which is pronounced “kah-MEE-lah”), means “priest’s helper” or “religious attendant”.
5
Charlie
For a long time, Charlie was just a cute nickname for more proper names like Charlotte or Charlene. But Charlie has come all into its own as a cute, popular first name for both boys and girls.
6
Coco
Coco. Just the name alone gives you the warm fuzzy feels and makes you want to cuddle up with a warm, chocolatey drink. And with good reason, since the name Coco often refers to the chocolate bean, cocoa. But Coco can also be a nickname for the Latin name Socorro, which means “help” in Spanish.
7
Caroline
When you’re looking for a strong name for your little lady, Caroline could be a contender. There’s some debate as to the origin of Caroline, since it might be the feminine version of Charles or the Latin name Carolus. In any event, Caroline, with its German, French, and Latin origins, tends to mean “free man” as well as “strong”.
8
Caitlyn
Caitlyn is one of those baby girl names that never seems to go out of style. You won’t lack for alternative ways to spell Caitlyn, because there are so many, such as Caitlan, Caitlin, Catelin, Catelyn, Caitlynn, Catelynn, Caetlynn — and don’t even get us started on potential Caitlyn spellings that start with a K.
9
Cai
A gender-neutral baby name, Cai means “rejoice” or “happy”. It’s of Latin and Welsh origin, and tends to be popular in Scandinavian countries. It’s also thought to be a diminutive of Caius, a Roman male name.
10
Christina
Christina means “a follower of Christ” or “a Christian”. It’s of Latin origin and is a classic pick for your baby girl.
11
Clara
Clara is one of those old-fashioned names that somehow always stays stylish. It’s of Latin origin and means “clear” and “bright”. It’s the feminine version of the Latin male name Clarus.
12
Catalina
A variation of the name Catherine, Catalina is a cute option if you’re looking for a slightly out-of-the-box girl name that start with “C”. It means “pure”.
13
Callie
Sure, you might be a bit biased, but if you had to say, you think your baby is a pretty beautiful little girl. That’s why Callie is a cute name for your kid, because it means just that — “beautiful”. As for its origin, Callie is a girl’s name of Greek origin, deriving from the name Callisto.
14
Cora
Expecting a spring baby? Cora could be a good choice, then. It means “maiden” or “daughter” and is of Greek origin. Cora refers to the goddess Persephone, who was the goddess of spring.
15
Carmen
Carmen has so many meanings, and all of them are just lovely. Carmen can mean “song”, “vineyard”, “poetry” or even “truthful”. The name is of Spanish origin but can also be of Hebrew descent, where the word “karmel” means “garden”.
16
Camryn
Don’t let the meaning deter you from naming your newborn Camryn. While its meaning “crooked nose” might not be appealing, it’s a strong Gaelic and Scottish name that’s beautiful to say. It derives from the Scottish name Cameron and can be gender-neutral as well.
17
Casey
A nickname for Cassandra, Casey is an Irish girl’s name. It means “watchful” or “vigilant” but can also signify “brave in battle”, and your girl is sure to be brave.
18
Celeste
Is there anything more heavenly than the scent of a newborn? Probably not. To capture that essence, you might want to move Celeste up to the top of your baby girl names that start with C list. After all, Celeste means “heavenly” or “celestial”.
19
Catherine
It’s hard to imagine a purer love than the one you feel for your baby. And that’s why Catherine is always so popular. It means “pure” and is of Greek origin, deriving from the Greek work “katharos”. Catherine is also one of those baby names that you can spell a slew of ways, like Cathryn, Catharine, and spellings that start with K, like Katheryn, Katharyn, Kathryne, Kathrine, and so on.
20
Chelsea
Meaning “a port of ships”, you can’t deny how charming the name Chelsea is. Classic and popular, it’s of Old English origin.
21
Calliope
It’s not a name you hear very often and that’s what makes Calliope a winner when it comes to baby names that start with “C”. It’s of Greek origin (Calliope, after all, was one of the nine sister goddesses) and derives from the words “kallos” meaning “beauty” and “ops” meaning voice. The name Calliope means “beautiful-voiced” which might make hearing your newborn’s cries that much cuter.
22
Cosette
If you’re a fan of big Broadway musicals, chances are you might already be familiar with the name Cosette. The heroine of Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables, Cosette is the heroine of the musical, too — and with good reason. The name Cosette, which is of French origin, means “victorious” but can also mean “little thing”.
23
Crystal
Of Greek origin, Crystal is a gem of a name — literally. It means “clear” or “precious”, both of which crystal is. It comes from the Greek word “krystallos”, meaning “ice”. And if you’re looking for a nickname, Crys is quite cute.
24
Campbell
Campbell is a classic name that is of Scottish origin. The gender-neutral name means “beautiful field” but can also mean “crooked mouth” or “wry mouth”. Maybe it means your gal will have the gift of gab — and won’t even have to kiss the Blarney Stone to get it.
25
Cassandra
If you want a powerhouse of a girl’s name, consider Cassandra. Meaning “the one who shines and excels over men”, it’s of Greek origin, where Cassandra was a Trojan prophetess.
26
Cordelia
Need a nautical name? How about Cordelia? It means “daughter of the sea”. The Latin word “cor” means “heart”, but the name is pretty popular in Ireland. Cordelia has quite a few sweet nicknames, such as Corie (also spelled as Cory or Corie), Lia, or Ellie, too. And Buffy fans will love the connection to that classic show.
27
Colbie
“From a coal town” is the meaning of the captivating name Colbie. It’s a gender-neutral name and is of English origin. And with the “e” at the end, Colbie is the feminine version of the boy’s name Colby.
28
Celina
When you’re looking for another moon-inspired name other than Luna, Celina will certainly do. It means “heaven” or “moon” and is of both Latin and Greek origin. Celina is often spelled with an S (think Selena, for example) but spelling it with a “C” gives it some out-of-this-world flair.
29
Carina
All it took was one look for you to fall head-over-heels in love with your baby. When there is no other baby who can be more beloved than yours, call your little one Carina. It means “beloved” and “dear little one” and is of Italian origin.
30
Calista
There is no doubt that your baby is the fairest one of all. Well, move over Snow White, because Calista is coming through. Meaning “most beautiful”, Calista derives from the Greek name Kallisto as well as the Roman name Callistus.
31
Candace
You glow, girl. Well, at least, that’s what the name Candace means. Candace is of Greek origin and means “shining” and “glowing”.
Picking out a name for your newborn can be overwhelming, since there are so many options. But once you’ve settled on the letter “C”, you can start looking at names that will represent your calm and charming little cutie.
