Six girl names that start with C sit inside the U.S. top 100 right now, led by Charlotte at number 2 in 2025 (1). The other 94 below run all the way down to names fewer than five American girls receive in a year.
Every entry carries its origin, meaning, pronunciation and a U.S. popularity figure where the SSA publishes one, so you can tell a crowded classroom pick from a genuinely rare one before you commit.
Whether you are matching a family initial or you simply love the letter, start at the top and work down. Cove is the fastest riser of the group, Charlotte is the safest bet, and there are 98 more in between.
Popularity at a Glance
The most popular names on this list in the United States, 1965 to 2025: Charlotte, Camila, Carter, Claire and Cameron.
100 Popular Female Names That Start with C
Catch up on our charming list of 100 girl names that start with C.
Cadence
Cadence takes a music word for the rise and fall of a phrase and hands it to a baby girl. It reads modern rather than antique, though the sound carries an old warmth. Parents who want something musical without reaching for Melody or Harmony tend to stop here. Actress Cadence Whittle, known for Drop Dead Famous, gives the name a working screen credit already.
- Origin: English, Latin
- Meaning: Rhythmic, flowing
- Pronunciation: KAY-dns, KAY-dens
- Namesakes: Cadence Whittle, an American actress known for Drop Dead Famous and Lemonheads.
- Popularity: Cadence ranked #1,022 in the U.S. in 2025, with 245 girls given the name that year.
Caia
Caia is the feminine form of the Roman name Caius, and its meaning, to rejoice, is about as warm a welcome as a name can offer. Four letters, two syllables, almost no spelling trouble once someone hears it said out loud. It suits a family that wants something short and sunny without landing on the vowel-heavy picks everyone else is using.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: To rejoice
- Pronunciation: KEYE-uh
- Namesakes: Caia van Maasakker, a Dutch field hockey player who won gold at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Caia Coley, an American actress.
- Popularity: Caia sits at #2,696 in the U.S. for 2025, against a best of #2,138 back in 2024.
Caidyn
Caidyn is a modern spelling in the Caden family, which traces back to an Anglicized Irish surname. The extra letters give it a softer look on paper while the sound stays clipped and confident, and it works equally well for a girl or a boy, so it is a fair pick for parents who like a name that does not announce a gender before the child does. SSA records put it at #4,420 in 2025, rare enough to stand out at the school gate.
- Origin: Old English, Welsh
- Meaning: Fighter, child of Caden
- Pronunciation: KAY-den, KAY-dn
- Variations: Caden, Cayden, Caeden
- Namesakes: Caidyn Bennett, an American actor known for Shameless, and Sophie’s Quinceañera.
- Popularity: SSA data puts Caidyn at #4,420 for 2025; it has appeared in the U.S. records since 2000.
Cailynn
Cailynn is the Anglicized shape of Caoilfhionn, built from the Old Irish roots cael, meaning slender, and finn, meaning fair or white. Some sources also point toward Greek origins, which suits a name this hard to pin down. The double n gives it a softer landing than the tidier Cailyn. If you want the Irish sound without the Irish spelling, this is the compromise most parents make.
- Origin: English, Old Irish, Greek
- Meaning: Slender, fair and white, pure
- Pronunciation: KAY-lihn
- Variations: Cailyn
- Popularity: Cailynn ranked #6,588 in 2025, about 44% down on the previous decade of U.S. births.
Calanthe
Calanthe means beautiful flower and belongs to a genus of orchid, which is a fitting pedigree for a name this ornamental. Fantasy readers will know it from The Witcher, where Queen Calanthe Fiona Riannon was called the Lioness of Cintra. Three syllables give it a formal, almost ceremonial air, and Callie waits underneath for daily use. It is a bold choice, and it knows it.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Beautiful flower
- Pronunciation: kuh-LAN-thee, kuh-LAN-thuh
- Variations: Calantha, Calanthia
- Popularity: Calanthe has appeared in the SSA data only once, at #5,224 in 1921.
Calen
Calen is five letters, easy to say the first time, and quietly cool without trying. The meanings behind it, slender and pure, keep it in Scottish and Irish company. It works on a girl or a boy, and it never feels like a trend. For parents circling names that are simple but not plain, Calen is worth a second look.
- Origin: Scottish, Irish
- Meaning: Slender, pure
- Pronunciation: KA-ln, KA-len
- Popularity: Calen placed #3,323 among U.S. girls in 2025, having first turned up in the data in 1977.
Cali
Short, bright and instantly friendly, Cali carries meanings that run from most beautiful to with warmth. The California association does half the work, giving it sunshine and a beach the moment anyone hears it. Calli and Callie are the alternate spellings if you want the same sound with a different look on the page. Actress Cali Fredrichs, known for Grey’s Anatomy, shows the short form works just as well on a call sheet.
- Origin: Greek, Latin
- Meaning: Most beautiful, cup, with warmth
- Pronunciation: KA-lee
- Variations: Calli, Callie
- Namesakes: Cali Fredrichs, an American actress, noted for Grey’s Anatomy. Cali Timmins, a former actress from Canada.
- Popularity: Cali ranked #574 in the U.S. in 2025, with 518 girls given the name that year.
Callista
Callista comes straight from the Greek for most beautiful, and it wears that meaning with a lot of poise. Three syllables give it a formal, drawing-room quality that Callie immediately relaxes. The French variant Caliste is the sleeker option, and Kallista swaps in a harder opening consonant. Businesswoman and former diplomat Callista Gingrich keeps the name in circulation for anyone who wants a modern bearer.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Most beautiful
- Pronunciation: kuh-LIHS-tuh, ka-LEES-tuh
- Variations: Calista, Caliste, Calixta, Kallista, Kalista
- Namesakes: Callista Gingrich, an American businesswoman, and former diplomat. Madame Callista Chimombo, a Malawian politician and former first lady.
- Popularity: Callista sits at #3,585 in the U.S. for 2025, against a best of #1,316 back in 1999.
Calliope
Calliope belongs to the Muse of epic poetry and eloquent speech, usually pictured with a writing tablet or a scroll in hand. In Greek mythology she was counted the wisest of the Muses, which is a fine thing to hand a daughter. The name is often mangled on first sight, so expect to say kuh-LEYE-uh-pee more than once. SSA data has counted it since 1917 and still places it at #451 in 2025, proof the mouthful never scared parents off.
- Origin: Greek, Latin
- Meaning: Beautiful voiced
- Pronunciation: kuh-LEYE-uh-pee
- Variations: Kalliope
- Namesakes: Panagiota-Calliope Chrysicopoulou, a Greek singer named Peggy Zina. Popi Maliotaki, born Calliope Maliotaki, a Greek pop-folk singer.
- Popularity: SSA data puts Calliope at #451 for 2025; it has appeared in the U.S. records since 1917.
Calypso
In Greek myth Calypso was the sea nymph who kept Odysseus on her island for seven years, and the name has held on to that saltwater romance. It also names a Caribbean music genre born in Trinidad and Tobago, from kaiso, meaning let us join, bravo, or go on. Two very different stories, one name, and both of them are good ones. It suits parents who want something with rhythm and a little mythology behind it.
- Origin: Greek, West African
- Meaning: She who hides, to conceal
- Pronunciation: ka-LIHP-soh, kuh-LIHP-soh
- Variations: Kalypso
- Namesakes: Calypso Botez, a Romanian author, suffragist, and activist. Linda McCartha Monica Sandy-Lewis, stage name Calypso Rose, a Trinidadian calypsonian.
- Popularity: Calypso ranked #2,865 in 2025, about 150% up on the previous decade of U.S. births.
Cambray
Cambray proves that not every French name needs an accent to feel refined. It was once the name of a French city, respelled Cambrai after the French Revolution, and it kept the older shape as a given name. The sound is soft at the front and firm at the finish, which is a hard balance to strike in two syllables. Anyone hunting for a name nobody in the class will share should start here.
- Origin: French
- Meaning: Chamber attendant, keeper of the treasury chamber
- Pronunciation: KAHM-bray
- Variations: Cambrey, Cambrai
- Popularity: Cambray is too rare for the SSA to publish a U.S. ranking, which takes at least five births in a single year.
Cameron
Cameron climbed through the 1980s and 1990s to peak at #31 in 2000, a run it has not matched since. The Scottish meaning, crooked nose, is famously unglamorous, which somehow only adds to the tomboy charm. Cameron Diaz did more than anyone to make it read as feminine, and it has kept that dual life ever since. It still reads equally at home on a girl or a boy without ever feeling like a compromise.
- Origin: Scottish
- Meaning: Crooked nose
- Pronunciation: KAM-run, KAM-uh-run
- Variations: Camron
- Namesakes: Cameron Diaz, an American actress who has received multiple accolades. Cameron Richardson, an American producer, actress, and model.
- Popularity: Cameron is one of six C names inside the U.S. top 100, ranking #76 in 2025.
Camila
Camila is the Spanish and Portuguese version of Camilla, from the Latin camillus, a young attendant at a religious rite. Worth knowing before you commit: in Spanish, camilla with two l sounds means stretcher, so the single l spelling is the one that travels. Singer Camila Cabello gave it a face and a voice for a whole generation of parents. It is one of six C names inside the U.S. top 100 for girls, ranking #19 in 2025.
- Origin: Spanish, Portuguese
- Meaning: Religious attendant, priest’s helper
- Pronunciation: kuh-MEE-lah, kuh-MIH-lah
- Variations: Camilla
- Namesakes: Camila Cabello, a Cuban-American songstress formerly with Fifth Harmony. Camila Giorgi, an Italian professional tennis player.
- Popularity: Camila is one of six C names inside the U.S. top 100, ranking #19 in 2025.
Candace
Candace was a royal title before it was a first name, Latinized from Kandake and used for the queens and queen mothers of ancient Ethiopia. Greek and Roman writers mistook the title for a personal name, and the mistake stuck so well that it is now simply a name. It has a regal, slightly formal ring that Candy or Candi can undercut in a second. Novelist and screenwriter Candace Allen shows the formal version carries plenty of weight on its own.
- Origin: Ethiopian, Latin
- Meaning: Glowing, pure, innocent
- Pronunciation: KAN-dihss
- Variations: Candice
- Namesakes: Candace Charles, a Guyanese model and beauty ambassador. Candace Allen, an African-American novelist, activist, and screenwriter based in London.
- Popularity: Candace sits at #3,173 in the U.S. for 2025, against a best of #102 back in 1984.
Candelaria
Candelaria is grand in the best way, a Spanish name taken from Candlemas and long tied to Nuestra Senora de la Candelaria on Tenerife in the Canary Islands. Five syllables is a lot to hand a newborn, but the nicknames do the rescuing: Cande, Candela, Dela, even Aria. It is deeply rooted in Spanish-speaking families and still almost unheard of elsewhere. If you want a name with candlelight and a feast day behind it, this is the one.
- Origin: Spanish
- Meaning: Candlemas
- Pronunciation: kan-deh-LA-ree-a
- Namesakes: Candelaria Pérez, a female Chilean soldier in the War of the Confederation.
- Popularity: SSA data puts Candelaria at #4,789 for 2025; it has appeared in the U.S. records since 1893.
Candy
Candy is pure sugar, and it has never pretended otherwise. Candi is the alternate spelling if you want the same sound with a lighter finish. Saxophonist Candy Dulfer and Australian politician Candy Celeste Broad show it can carry an adult career perfectly well. Some parents will find it too playful for a grown woman; others will decide a little sweetness never hurt anyone.
- Origin: Indian, French, English
- Meaning: Sweet
- Pronunciation: KAN-dee
- Variations: Candi
- Namesakes: Candy Dulfer, a Dutch jazz and pop saxophonist. Candy Celeste Broad, an Australian politician.
- Popularity: Candy ranked #4,576 in 2025, about 53% down on the previous decade of U.S. births.
Canna
Canna is most likely borrowed from the canna lily, a tall tropical bloom with a name traced to the Latin kannus, a reed. The meaning, reed, gives it a slim, green, quiet feeling. Saint Canna, a Breton princess remembered as the mother of saints, gives it a much older thread to pull. Two syllables, no spelling arguments, and almost nobody else using it.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Reed
- Pronunciation: KA-nuh
- Namesakes: Saint Canna, a 6th-century mother of saints and a Breton princess.
- Popularity: Canna last cleared the SSA’s five-births reporting line in 2016, at #16,746, after a best U.S. showing of #10,255 in 2007.
Cara
Cara means beloved, pure and friend depending on which root you follow, and every one of them is a good thing to call a daughter. Its charm is its plainness: four letters, one obvious pronunciation, no fuss at the school gate. Model and actress Cara Delevingne gave it a jolt of style that it had not had in decades. It has been in the SSA’s records since 1882 and still lands at #1,326 in 2025, a long, steady run rather than a sudden trend.
- Origin: Latin, Greek, Celtic
- Meaning: Beloved, pure, friend
- Pronunciation: KA-ruh
- Variations: Caragh
- Namesakes: Cara Delevingne, an English model and actress. Cara Tivey, an English keyboardist, and vocalist. Cara Black, a former Zimbabwean professional tennis player.
- Popularity: Cara placed #1,326 among U.S. girls in 2025, having first turned up in the data in 1882.
Carisse
Carisse takes the Greek word for grace and gives it a French finish, sitting one letter away from the far more familiar Carissa, which makes it feel fresh without feeling invented. The stress lands on the second syllable, kuh-REES, so it has a little lift at the end. It last cleared the SSA’s five-births line back in 2000, so anyone wearing it now is genuinely rare.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Grace
- Pronunciation: kuh-REES
- Variations: Carise
- Popularity: Carisse last cleared the SSA’s five-births reporting line in 2000, at #13,458, after a best U.S. showing of #10,415 in 1979.
Cayenne
Cayenne is named for heat, and it does not apologize for it. The common story ties it to the town in French Guiana, but the word actually comes from a classical Brazilian Tupi term for a pungent dried pepper. That gives it a real origin story rather than a marketing one. It suits a family who wants a spice name with more bite than Saffron or Ginger.
- Origin: Brazilian
- Meaning: Hot spice
- Pronunciation: keye-EN
- Popularity: Cayenne last cleared the SSA’s five-births reporting line in 2024, at #13,824, after a best U.S. showing of #5,429 in 2012.
Carla
Carla is the feminine form of Karl, cousin to the Spanish Carlos and the English Charles, and it means freeman. It has the settled, capable sound of a name that has already raised a few generations. Opera singer Carla Gavazzi and illustrator Carla Berrocal give it range across the arts. It reads as vintage in English and as entirely current in Spanish and Portuguese, which is a useful trick for a bilingual family.
- Origin: German
- Meaning: Freeman
- Pronunciation: KAR-luh
- Namesakes: Carla Gavazzi, an Italian operatic soprano. Carla Bonner, an Australian actress. Carla Berrocal, a Spanish comics illustrator.
- Popularity: SSA data puts Carla at #1,083 for 2025; it has appeared in the U.S. records since 1890.
Carly
Carly shares its roots with Carla but grew into something breezier. Carly Simon and Carly Rae Jepsen have carried it through two very different eras of pop music, which is the kind of endorsement a name cannot buy. The spellings multiply fast, from Carley to Carlie to Carleigh, so choose yours and hold the line. It suits a girl you expect to be the loudest laugh in the room.
- Origin: Latin, German
- Meaning: Freeman
- Pronunciation: KAR-lee
- Variations: Carley, Carlie, Carleigh, Carlee, Carli
- Namesakes: Carly Simon, an American musician, songstress, and author. Carly Rae Jepsen, a Canadian songstress and a Canadian Idol third-place winner.
- Popularity: Carly ranked #1,009 in 2025, about 57% down on the previous decade of U.S. births.
Carmelita
Carmelita rolls out like a bar of smooth jazz, four syllables and not one of them wasted. It comes from the Hebrew karmel, the name of a city and a mountain range that appears in the Bible as a vineyard, a place of worship and a refuge. The Spanish diminutive ending softens all that history into something affectionate. Photographer Carmelita Little Turtle and silent film actress Carmelita Geraghty both wore it well.
- Origin: Hebrew, Spanish
- Meaning: Garden, orchard, little poem
- Pronunciation: kar-meh-LEE-tuh, kar-meh-LEE-tah
- Namesakes: Carmelita Little Turtle, an Apache-Tarahumara photographer. Carmelita Geraghty, American silent film actress and painter. Carmelita Abalos, a Filipina politician, and an incumbent vice mayor.
- Popularity: About one in every 111,111 American girls born now carries the name, putting Carmelita at #7,566 in 2025.
Caroline
Caroline is three syllables of easy grace, and it has been in continuous use for so long that it no longer belongs to any one era. It means free woman, and it has been the name of princesses, figure skaters and more than a few queens and empresses. Neil Diamond made sure a good half of any room can sing it on request. It is one of six C names inside the U.S. top 100 right now, holding #96 in 2025.
- Origin: German, French
- Meaning: Freeman, free woman
- Pronunciation: KA-roh-leye-n, KAIR-oh-leye-n
- Variations: Carolyn, Carolin, Carolina, Coraline
- Namesakes: Caroline Zhang, an American figure skater. Caroline Louise Marguerite of Monaco, Princess of Hanover. Caroline Green, an American ice dancer.
- Popularity: Caroline is one of six C names inside the U.S. top 100, ranking #96 in 2025.
Carolyn
Carolyn is Caroline’s mid-century sister, spelled differently and said differently, with the stress landing flatter at the end. It gets confused with Caroline constantly, so expect to correct people. Chemist and Nobel laureate Carolyn Bertozzi and literary scholar Carolyn Cooper are the kind of namesakes that make a name feel serious. For parents after something classy and vintage that has not yet been rediscovered by everyone else, its moment may be coming back around.
- Origin: German, French, English
- Meaning: Free woman, joy, song of happiness
- Pronunciation: KA-roh-lihn, KAIR-oh-lihn
- Variations: Carolynn, Carolyne, Carolynne
- Namesakes: Carolyn Cooper, Jamaican author and literary scholar. Carolyn Bertozzi, an American chemist and Nobel laureate.
- Popularity: Carolyn ranked #1,222 in the U.S. in 2025, with 185 girls given the name that year.
Carrie
Carrie started life as a nickname for Carol and Caroline and long ago stopped needing either of them. It is warm, plain-spoken and easy on a small child. Carrie Fisher and Carrie Underwood pull it in two directions, one sardonic and one sunlit, and it handles both. It has slid to #2,726 in 2025 from a best of #28 back in 1976, a long fade from its own peak.
- Origin: German, English
- Meaning: Free
- Pronunciation: KA-ree, KAIR-ee
- Variations: Carey, Carie, Cary
- Namesakes: Carrie Underwood, an American country singer. Carrie Fisher, an American actress known for her role as Princess Leia.
- Popularity: Carrie sits at #2,726 in the U.S. for 2025, against a best of #28 back in 1976.
Carter
Carter came from the Gaelic cairt, meaning cart, and began as an occupational surname for whoever hauled the goods. It is used more often for boys but has held a steady place on the girls’ side for years. Selena Gomez played a teenager named Carter Mason in Disney’s Princess Protection Program, which did the name no harm at all. It is crisp, modern and impossible to mispronounce.
- Origin: Irish, Old English
- Meaning: Transporter of goods by cart
- Pronunciation: KAH-tuh, KAR-ter
- Variations: Karter
- Namesakes: Carter Stanley, an American bluegrass musician.
- Popularity: Carter is one of six C names inside the U.S. top 100, ranking #45 in 2025.
Casey
Casey means vigilant and brave, and it wears both lightly. John Luther Jones, remembered as Casey Jones, was the American railroader who stayed with his engine to save his passengers. The name has carried a little of that steadiness ever since. It works for a girl or a boy. It also shortens to almost nothing, which is part of its appeal. It ranked #320 in 2025, about 15 percent up on the previous decade of U.S. births.
- Origin: Irish
- Meaning: Vigilant, watchful, brave
- Pronunciation: KAY-see, KA-see
- Variations: Cacey, Cassie, Kasey, Kacey, Kacee, KC
- Namesakes: Casey Dellacqua, a retired Australian professional tennis player. Casey Johnson, an American socialite, and heiress to the Johnson & Johnson empire.
- Popularity: Casey ranked #320 in 2025, about 15% up on the previous decade of U.S. births.
Cassandra
In Greek legend Cassandra was the princess granted prophecy and cursed never to be believed. That is a heavy story to attach to such a pretty name. The meaning, shining and excelling over man, is unusually assertive for its era. Jazz singer Cassandra Wilson and ballet dancer Cassandra Trenary keep it in artistic company. Cass, Cassie and Sandra all live inside it too, so it flexes from formal to casual without effort. It sits at #631 in 2025, about one in every 3,472 American girls born now.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Shining and excelling over man
- Pronunciation: kuh-SAN-druh, kuh-SAHN-druh
- Variations: Kassandra
- Namesakes: Cassandra Wilson, an American jazz singer-songwriter. Cassandra Trenary, an American principal ballet dancer with the American Ballet Theatre.
- Popularity: About one in every 3,472 American girls born now carries the name, putting Cassandra at #631 in 2025.
Cassidy
Cassidy comes from the Anglicized Irish surname O Caiside, built on a Gaelic name root, and its meaning covers both clever and curly-haired. It has an easy, tumbling rhythm that suits a child who never sits still. Footballer Cassidy Davis gives it a sporting edge. It placed #541 among U.S. girls in 2025, having first turned up in the data in 1969.
- Origin: Gaelic, Irish
- Meaning: Clever, curly-haired
- Pronunciation: KA-sih-dee, KA-suu-dee
- Variations: Kassidy, Cassadee
- Namesakes: Cassidy Davis, an Australian women’s footballer. Cassidy Wolf, an American model, beauty queen, and TV host.
- Popularity: Cassidy placed #541 among U.S. girls in 2025, having first turned up in the data in 1969.
Cassiopeia
Cassiopeia probably means cassia juice, though nobody can say so with confidence, and the uncertainty rather suits it. In Greek myth she was the boastful queen mother of Andromeda, set among the stars by Poseidon as a punishment that turned into an honor. Five syllables is a commitment, but Cassie, Cass and Pia are all standing by. Choose it if you want your daughter’s name written across the northern sky.
- Origin: Greek, Latin
- Meaning: Cassia juice
- Pronunciation: KA-see-oh-PEE-uh
- Variations: Cassiopea, Kassiopeia
- Popularity: Cassiopeia ranked #8,977 in the U.S. in 2025, with 11 girls given the name that year.
Catalina
Catalina is the Spanish and Corsican form of Catherine, and it means pure. Where Catherine is buttoned up, Catalina flows, landing somewhere close to the Russian Yekaterina in feel. Actress Catalina Sandino Moreno shared the Silver Bear with Charlize Theron. That gives the name a strong first association. Cata, Cat and Lina are all easy landing spots for daily use. It reached #111 in the U.S. in 2025, its best showing on record.
- Origin: Spanish, Corsican, Greek
- Meaning: Pure, holy
- Pronunciation: ka-tuh-LEE-nuh
- Variations: Katalina
- Namesakes: Catalina Sandino Moreno, a Colombian actress who shared the Silver Bear with Charlize Theron. Catalina Yue, a Canadian-American singer, actress, model, and businesswoman.
- Popularity: Catalina reached #111 in the U.S. in 2025, its best showing on record.
Catherine
Catherine is the French and English rendering of the Greek Aikaterine, and it has been worn by saints, empresses and martyrs for the better part of a thousand years. Catherine the Great and Catherine of Alexandria sit at opposite ends of that history, one ruling an empire and one refusing to renounce her faith. The C spelling reads a little softer than Katherine, and the nicknames are endless: Cat, Kate, Cathy, Kitty. Few names carry this much weight while still being simple to spell out loud.
- Origin: French, English, Greek
- Meaning: Pure, virginal
- Pronunciation: KATH-rihn
- Variations: Cathrine, Catharine, Katherine, Kathrine, Katharine
- Namesakes: Catherine of Lancaster, Queen of Castile. Princess Catherine of Wales, of the British royal family.
- Popularity: SSA data puts Catherine at #314 for 2025; it has appeared in the U.S. records since 1880.
Cathleen
Cathleen comes from the Irish Caitlin and shares its meaning, pure, with the whole Catherine family, carrying a mid-century feel that is only now beginning to sound charming again rather than dated. Mathematician Cathleen Synge Morawetz and actress Cathleen Nesbitt are the sort of namesakes who give a name backbone. Cathy, Cat and Lee all come free with it. It has fallen to #9,581 in 2025, about 59 percent down on the previous decade of U.S. births.
- Origin: Irish, Greek
- Meaning: Pure, virginal
- Pronunciation: kath-LEEN
- Variations: Kathleen
- Namesakes: Cathleen Nesbitt, an English actress, awarded a British order of chivalry. Cathleen Falsani, an American journalist and author. Cathleen Synge Morawetz, a Canadian mathematician.
- Popularity: Cathleen ranked #9,581 in 2025, about 59% down on the previous decade of U.S. births.
Cécile
Cecile is French to its bones, brisk and elegant in two syllables. It belongs to the Cecilia family and carries the same meaning, blind, which matters far less than the sound. Haitian vodou priestess Cecile Fatiman and Irish scholar Cecile O’Rahilly show how far it has traveled. Drop the accent for an easier ride in English, or keep it and enjoy the extra flourish.
- Origin: French, Latin
- Meaning: Blind
- Pronunciation: SAY-seel, SEH-seel
- Variations: Cecile, Cécilia, Cecilia
- Namesakes: Cecile Platovsky, a renowned Belgian fashion designer. Cécile Fatiman, a Haitian vodou priestess. Cecile O’Rahilly, an Irish linguistic scholar.
- Popularity: Cécile is too rare for the SSA to publish a U.S. ranking, which takes at least five births in a single year.
Cecily
Cecily is the English form of Cecilia, from the Latin Caecilia, once the name for a woman of the plebeian Caecilii clan. It is not the same name as Cicely, though the two get muddled constantly. The three syllables trip along lightly. That keeps it from sounding as old as it actually is. Cece and Lily are the ready-made nicknames. Actress and casting director Cecily Adams carried it through a working Hollywood career.
- Origin: English, Latin
- Meaning: Blind
- Pronunciation: SEH-sih-lee, SEH-suh-lee
- Variations: Cecilie
- Namesakes: Cecily Adams, an American actress, lyricist, and casting director. Cecily Norden, née Bowker, a South African author, and equestrian.
- Popularity: Cecily placed #1,541 among U.S. girls in 2025, having first turned up in the data in 1911.
Celerina
Celerina is the feminine form of Celerinus, and it means quick, which is a cheerful thing to wish on a child. It has stayed close to Spanish-speaking families and the Philippines rather than spreading widely. Four syllables give it a lilt that shorter C names cannot manage. It last cleared the SSA’s five-births line in 2000, so it is rare wherever it turns up.
- Origin: Spanish, Latin
- Meaning: Quick, swift
- Pronunciation: SEH-leh-ree-na, SEH-leh-ree-nuh
- Namesakes: Celerina Judisari, an Indonesian film producer.
- Popularity: Celerina has appeared in the SSA data only once, at #13,477 in 2000.
Celeste
Celeste means heavenly, straight from the Latin Caelestis, and it has crossed into Italian, Spanish and English with barely a scratch. The French write it Celeste with an accent, which is the version to reach for if you want the extra polish. Singer Celeste Waite and actress Maria Celeste Cid give it a modern, artistic company. Two syllables, one soft landing, and no spelling battles.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Heavenly, celestial
- Pronunciation: suh-LEST
- Variations: Céleste
- Namesakes: Celeste Epiphany Waite, an American songstress of English and Jamaican descent. María Celeste Cid, an Argentine actress. Celeste Raack, an Australian-Irish cricketer.
- Popularity: Celeste reached #188 in the U.S. in 2025, its best showing on record.
Célestine
Celestine means of the sky, and it has been worn by five popes. It has also, more commonly, been worn by girls around the world. There is also a mineral called celestine, sometimes a pale heavenly blue, which gives the name a second life in the rock collection. If a fancy French name is what you are after, this one arrives already dressed. Celeste and Tina are both hiding inside it for everyday use. French mezzo-soprano Célestine Galli-Marié and businesswoman Celestine Beyoncé Knowles-Lawson show it moving between the stage and the boardroom.
- Origin: French, Latin
- Meaning: Heavenly, of the sky
- Pronunciation: say-less-TEEN, seh-les-TEEN
- Variations: Celestine
- Namesakes: Célestine Galli-Marié, a French operatic mezzo-soprano. Celestine Beyoncé Knowles-Lawson, née Beyoncé, an American businesswoman, and designer.
- Popularity: Célestine is too rare for the SSA to publish a U.S. ranking, which takes at least five births in a single year.
Celine
Celine comes from the Latin Caelinus and belongs to the same heavenly family as Celeste. Celine Dion has held the name in the public ear for decades. That means everyone can spell it and nobody will ask twice. It is smooth, two syllables, and slightly more understated than its cousins. Add the accent for Céline if you want the French spelling on the certificate. It has climbed to #207 in 2025, about 241 percent up on the previous decade of U.S. births.
- Origin: French, Latin
- Meaning: Heavenly
- Pronunciation: suh-LEEN
- Variations: Céline
- Namesakes: Céline Dion, a Canadian singer and actress. Celine Axelos, née Tasso, an Egyptian poet, and public speaker. Celine Byrne, an Irish soprano.
- Popularity: Celine ranked #207 in 2025, about 241% up on the previous decade of U.S. births.
Cendrillon
Cendrillon is Cinderella in her original French, and the meaning, little ashes, is right there in the name. It is a mouthful in English. That is precisely why it feels so unexpected on a modern birth certificate. The German version, Aschenputtel, never stood a chance by comparison. Cendri or Rilla would make the daily version manageable. It reads as unmistakably storybook, which is exactly the point for parents chasing something nobody else will have.
- Origin: French
- Meaning: Little ashes
- Pronunciation: sahn-DREE-yon
- Variations: Cinderella, Cenerentola
- Popularity: Cendrillon is too rare for the SSA to publish a U.S. ranking, which takes at least five births in a single year.
Ceres
Ceres was the Roman goddess of agriculture and the harvest, and her name still turns up every morning: the word cereal comes from her. She also names the dwarf planet in the asteroid belt, discovered by an Italian astronomer who chose her partly for her Italian roots in Sicily. Two syllables, a hard start and a soft finish, and a meaning built around nourishment. It is a small name carrying a lot of harvest.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Nourishment, grain, goddess of the harvest
- Pronunciation: seh-REZ, see-REEZ, keh-REZ
- Variations: Cérès
- Popularity: Ceres last cleared the SSA’s five-births reporting line in 2022, at #15,793, after a best U.S. showing of #9,740 in 2013.
Cerise
Cerise is simply the French word for cherry, and it also names the deep pink-red that goes with it. The stress falls on the second syllable, which gives it a lift that plain Cherry cannot match. It works beautifully as a middle name for exactly that reason. Librettist Cerise Lim Jacobs shows it holds up on a professional program as well as on a nursery door.
- Origin: French
- Meaning: Cherry
- Pronunciation: SUH-reez, suh-REES
- Namesakes: Cerise Fukuji, an American producer, writer, and director. Cerise Lim Jacobs, an American-based Chinese-Singaporean operatic librettist.
- Popularity: Cerise ranked #6,595 in the U.S. in 2025, with 17 girls given the name that year.
Chaka
Chaka is a unisex name used more often for boys in some countries and more often for girls in others. Chaka Khan, born Yvette Marie Stevens, made it a stage name that a whole genre answers to. The meaning runs to life and the body’s vital center, which gives it real substance under the swagger. Two beats, a hard opening consonant, impossible to say quietly.
- Origin: Arabic, African, Hebrew
- Meaning: Vitality center, life
- Pronunciation: CHAH-kuh, SHA-kuh
- Namesakes: Yvette Marie Stevens, stage name Chaka Khan, an American songstress. Mami Yasunori, stage name Chaka, a Japanese singer-songwriter.
- Popularity: Chaka last cleared the SSA’s five-births reporting line in 2001, at #9,449, after a best U.S. showing of #1,683 in 1972.
Chandra
Chandra means moonshine, and it belongs to one of the few C names tied to the moon. Actress Chandra Wilson and sprinter Chandra Sturrup have carried it across television and the track. The sound is soft in the middle and firm at the edges, which keeps it from being too delicate. It suits a baby born at night or a family drawn to lunar names.
- Origin: Indian
- Meaning: Moonshine
- Pronunciation: CHAN-druh
- Namesakes: Chandra K. West, a Canadian actress. Chandra Wilson, an American actress, and director. Chandra Sturrup, a Bahamian track and field sprinter.
- Popularity: Chandra last cleared the SSA’s five-births reporting line in 2023, at #11,394, after a best U.S. showing of #307 in 1975.
Chanel
Chanel began as a topographical French surname for someone living near a canal, which is a very ordinary start for a name that now sounds like money. Coco Chanel did that transformation single-handedly. Chanelle and Shanelle stretch it out if the single-syllable ending feels abrupt. It is glamorous, unmistakable, and a lot to live up to, which some parents love and others avoid.
- Origin: French
- Meaning: Canal, dweller near the canal
- Pronunciation: shuh-NELL
- Variations: Chanél, Chanelle, Shanelle
- Namesakes: Gabrielle Bonheur “Coco” Chanel, known as Coco Chanel, a French fashion designer. Chanel Simmonds, a South African professional tennis player.
- Popularity: Chanel ranked #1,311 in 2025, about 6% down on the previous decade of U.S. births.
Chantal
Chantal came from the old French word cantal, meaning a stone or a stony place, though modern ears hear chant in it instead. Both readings suit it: solid underneath, musical on top. Director Chantal Akerman and alpinist Chantal Mauduit gave it a serious, determined reputation. It sits at #6,167 in 2025, about one in every 83,333 American girls born now.
- Origin: French
- Meaning: Stone
- Pronunciation: shan-TAL, shan-TELL
- Variations: Chantel, Chantalle, Chantelle, Shantel, Shantelle
- Namesakes: Chantal Akerman, a Belgian director, screenwriter, and film professor. Chantal Mauduit, a French alpinist. Chantal Ughi, an Italian-American kickboxer and Muay Thai champion.
- Popularity: About one in every 83,333 American girls born now carries the name, putting Chantal at #6,167 in 2025.
Chara
Chara means joy, and it also names a star in the constellation Canes Venatici, the hunting dogs. Five letters, two syllables, and a warmth that does not need decoration. Volleyball player Chara Papadopoulou and children’s author Chara M. Curtis show its Greek and American sides. It is a good option if Clara feels too common and Cora feels too plain.
- Origin: Greek, Latin
- Meaning: Joy, happiness, beloved, dear
- Pronunciation: CHAHR-uh
- Variations: Chará
- Namesakes: Chara Papadopoulou, a Greek professional women’s volleyball player. Chara M. Curtis, an American children’s book author.
- Popularity: Chara placed #13,546 among U.S. girls in 2025, having first turned up in the data in 1956.
Chardonnay
Chardonnay borrows its name from the white grape and the French village believed to be behind it, and three syllables of celebration mean no one will ever mistake it for anything else. It is unapologetically over the top, which is exactly the point for some families. It last cleared the SSA’s five-births line in 2018, well off its best showing of #2,561 back in 1991.
- Origin: French
- Meaning: Place of thistles, thistle-covered place
- Pronunciation: shahr-duh-NAY, SHAH-duh-nay
- Popularity: Chardonnay last cleared the SSA’s five-births reporting line in 2018, at #16,194, after a best U.S. showing of #2,561 in 1991.
Charity
Charity is a virtue name in the Puritan tradition, and its Latin ancestor Caritas was in use among early Roman Christians long before that. The meaning, generous love, is one of the few name meanings that reads as an instruction. Novelist Charity Waciuma and athlete Charity Opara-Asonze give it real modern bearers. It is wholesome without being frilly, and Cherry or Rita can lighten it when needed.
- Origin: Latin, English
- Meaning: Generous love
- Pronunciation: CHAIR-ih-tee
- Namesakes: Charity Rose Wakefield, an English actress. Charity Waciuma, a Kenyan novelist. Charity Opara-Asonze, a former Nigerian track and field athlete.
- Popularity: Charity sits at #1,981 in the U.S. for 2025, against a best of #183 back in 1975.
Charlene
Charlene is a diminutive of Charles dressed in a French ending, and it means free. Charlene, the princess consort of Monaco, is a former Olympic swimmer. That combination makes her about as glamorous a namesake as a name can ask for. It has a soft, mid-century sound that pairs well with a short modern middle name. Charlie and Char are the obvious everyday forms. SSA records have followed it since 1888, and it now sits at #1,948 in 2025.
- Origin: English, German
- Meaning: Free, freeman
- Pronunciation: shahr-LEEN, shah-LEEN
- Variations: Sharleen, Sharlene, Charleen
- Namesakes: Charlene, princess consort of Monaco and former Olympic swimmer. Charlene Almarvez, a Filipina fashion model.
- Popularity: SSA data puts Charlene at #1,948 for 2025; it has appeared in the U.S. records since 1888.
Charlize
Charlize is the Afrikaans take on Charles, and it may be the sleekest derivative the name has produced. Charlize Theron brought it out of South Africa and onto every red carpet on earth. The z gives it an edge that Charlotte and Charlene do not have. Char and Lizzie are both there, though most people just say the whole thing because it is fun to say.
- Origin: South African, German
- Meaning: Free, freeman
- Pronunciation: shahr-LEEZ
- Namesakes: Charlize Theron, a South African actress and producer. Charlize van der Westhuizen, a former South African cricketer for the Northerns women’s cricket team.
- Popularity: Charlize ranked #2,658 in 2025, about 51% down on the previous decade of U.S. births.
Charlotte
Charlotte is the feminine form of Charlot, itself a pet form of Charles, and it means freeman and petite at once. It has royalty attached, from Princess Charlotte of Wales to a long line before her. It also carries poet Charlotte Elliott and revolutionary Charlotte Corday among its bearers. Charlotte’s Web is the other association, and that spider was as kind and steady a character as children’s books have produced. Lottie, Charlie and Carlota are all in reach, and the Italian Carlotta is there for parents who want the same name with a different accent. It is the highest ranked C name on this list, holding the number 2 spot in the U.S. for 2025.
- Origin: French
- Meaning: Freeman, petite
- Pronunciation: SHAHR-lot, SHAHR-lt
- Variations: Carlota, Carlotta
- Namesakes: Princess Charlotte of Wales, a member of the British royal family. Charlotte Elliott, an English poet, hymnist, and editor. Charlotte Corday, a French revolutionist.
- Popularity: Charlotte is the highest ranked C name on this list, at #2 in 2025 in the U.S.
Chastity
Chastity is a virtue name with a firm point of view, tied to moral cleanliness and restraint. It had a moment in the 1970s and 1980s and then stepped back out of the spotlight, which is part of what makes it interesting again. Rapper Chastity Daniels, who performs as La Chat, is proof it can carry attitude. Chas and Titi are the nicknames most likely to stick.
- Origin: English, Latin
- Meaning: Purity, innocence
- Pronunciation: CHAS-tih-tee
- Namesakes: Chastity Daniels, stage name La Chat, an American rapper.
- Popularity: Chastity last cleared the SSA’s five-births reporting line in 2023, at #10,493, after a best U.S. showing of #308 in 1976.
Chel
Chel comes from Ixchel, the Mayan goddess of medicine and midwifery, sometimes confused with the moon goddess. The first part of that name is uncertain, but chel means rainbow. It also survives as a surname in India and Mexico, and animation fans will know Chel from The Road to El Dorado. One syllable, no spelling trouble, and almost nobody else has it.
- Origin: Aztec, Old English
- Meaning: Rainbow, chalk landing place
- Pronunciation: CHEL
- Popularity: Chel is too rare for the SSA to publish a U.S. ranking, which takes at least five births in a single year.
Chelsea
Chelsea is a London place name, from the Old English calc hyth, a landing place for chalk or limestone. That workmanlike origin sits oddly next to the name’s current reputation. Its reputation is bright and a little bit posh. Organist Chelsea Chen and wrestler Chelsea Green show how far the name stretches. Chelsey, Chelsy and Chelsi are the alternate spellings, though the standard one has never really lost ground. It sits at #851 in the U.S. for 2025, down from a best of #15 back in 1992.
- Origin: Old English
- Meaning: Port for chalk, chalk landing place
- Pronunciation: CHEL-see
- Variations: Chelsey, Chelsy, Chelsi
- Namesakes: Chelsea Chen, an acclaimed American organist, and composer. Chelsea Anne Green, a Canadian professional wrestler, stuntwoman, and model.
- Popularity: Chelsea sits at #851 in the U.S. for 2025, against a best of #15 back in 1992.
Cher
Cher comes from the French cherir, which means to love or to cherish. One syllable, no room for ambiguity, and a single global namesake in Cherilyn Sarkisian, who needs no surname at all. English singer Cher Lloyd proves it works on someone born decades later. It is short, warm and about as direct a declaration as a name can make.
- Origin: French
- Meaning: Darling, dear, beloved
- Pronunciation: sh-AIR, sh-EUH
- Namesakes: Cher Lloyd, an English singer. Cherilyn Sarkisian, known as Cher, an American singer, and actress.
- Popularity: Cher last cleared the SSA’s five-births reporting line in 2024, at #13,840, after a best U.S. showing of #651 in 1972.
Cherry
Cherry is bright, round and impossible to say grumpily. It works as a fruit name and a color name at once, which gives it more life than five letters usually manage. Actress Cherry Mardia and model Cherry Marshall carried it across two continents. With fruit and nature names back in circulation, it may be due for another season.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Cherry fruit
- Pronunciation: CHEH-ree
- Namesakes: Cherry Mardia, an Indian actress. Cherry Wainer, a South African musician. Cherry Marshall, an English fashion model, and agent.
- Popularity: Cherry ranked #3,588 in the U.S. in 2025, with 42 girls given the name that year.
Cheryl
Cheryl has a mid-century polish to it, the kind of name that comes with a good coat and an opinion, and it belongs to the same Charles family as Charlene. The meaning, beloved, does the emotional work while the sound does the rest. It has slipped to #4,376 in 2025, about one in every 50,000 American girls born now.
- Origin: French, English
- Meaning: Beloved
- Pronunciation: sheh-RUL
- Variations: Sheryl, Sheryll
- Namesakes: Cheryl Ann Tweedy, an English singer and TV personality. Cheryl Barker, an Australian operatic soprano. Cheryl Burke, an American dancer, model, and TV host.
- Popularity: About one in every 50,000 American girls born now carries the name, putting Cheryl at #4,376 in 2025.
Chicago
Chicago is a place name in the truest sense, and it turns heads before anyone hears the meaning. The city takes its name from the Algonquian shikaakwa, usually translated as smelly onion or striped skunk, which actually described a wild garlic plant rather than an onion at all. That is a strange and wonderful thing to know about a name this glossy. Chi and Cago are the short forms, and neither is subtle.
- Origin: Algonquin
- Meaning: Smelly onion, striped skunk, wild garlic
- Pronunciation: shuh-KAH-goh
- Namesakes: Chicago West, daughter of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian.
- Popularity: Chicago placed #7,284 among U.S. girls in 2025, having first turned up in the data in 1995.
China
China began as a country name, traced back to the Qin dynasty, and moved into use as a personal name mostly in the West. It is short, open and easy to say in almost any language. Chyna is the respelling for parents who want more visual punch. It is a bold pick, and it works best on a family who will enjoy explaining it.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: China, porcelain
- Pronunciation: CHEYE-nuh
- Variations: Chyna
- Namesakes: China Anne McClain, an American actress, and singer. China Zorrilla, an Uruguayan actress, director, producer, and writer.
- Popularity: China ranked #11,148 in the U.S. in 2025, with 8 girls given the name that year.
Chrishell
Chrishell is a blended name with a story rather than an etymology. It was made for television personality Chrishell Stause, whose mother went into labor at a Shell gas station and was helped by an attendant named Chris. Read literally, it comes out as something like a bearer of Christ and a shell. Few names can claim a genuine origin story that specific, and Chris or Shelly will handle the everyday.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Combination name
- Pronunciation: kruh-SHELL
- Namesakes: Terrina Chrishell Stause, an American actress and real estate agent.
- Popularity: Chrishell sits at #9,588 in the U.S. for 2025, against a best of #9,109 back in 2023.
Christa
Christa was once a pet form of Christina and long ago set up on its own, and it is short, clean and reads as modern despite its very old religious roots. Parents after a Christian name with a casual finish tend to land here rather than on the longer forms. SSA records have followed it since 1912, and it now sits at #6,598 in 2025.
- Origin: Latin, Greek
- Meaning: Anointed one, follower of Christ
- Pronunciation: KRIH-stuh
- Variations: Crista, Krista
- Namesakes: Christa Marion Ackroyd, an English journalist, and broadcaster. Christa Bonhoff, a German contralto and mezzo-soprano singer.
- Popularity: SSA data puts Christa at #6,598 for 2025; it has appeared in the U.S. records since 1912.
Christina
Christina has been a mainstay of Christian families for centuries. It is more formal than Christa and more flowing than Christine, sitting neatly between the two. Christina Aguilera and a long list of other bearers keep it from ever feeling dusty. Chris, Tina and Christie give it three completely different everyday personalities.
- Origin: Latin, Greek
- Meaning: Follower of Christ
- Pronunciation: krih-STEE-nuh
- Variations: Cristina, Kristina
- Namesakes: Christina Aguilera, an American songstress, and actress known for her four-octave vocal range. Christina, Queen of Sweden. Christina Applegate, an American actress.
- Popularity: Christina ranked #770 in 2025, about 58% down on the previous decade of U.S. births.
Christine
Christine is the French form of Christina, and the two have traded places in fashion more than once. It is composed, a little reserved, and instantly recognizable in a dozen languages. Christine Blair, the long-running character on The Young and the Restless, is the fictional bearer most people picture first. It sits at #1,274 in 2025, about one in every 9,091 American girls born now.
- Origin: Latin, Greek
- Meaning: Follower of Christ
- Pronunciation: krih-STEEN
- Variations: Kristine
- Namesakes: Christine Adams, a British actress. Christine Angot, a French novelist, playwright, and screenwriter.
- Popularity: About one in every 9,091 American girls born now carries the name, putting Christine at #1,274 in 2025.
Ciara
Ciara is Irish and, in Irish, is said KEE-ra or occasionally kee-AH-ruh. The see-AIR-uh pronunciation that many English speakers reach for came from confusion with the similar-looking Sierra, and both versions are now in use. The meaning, dark-haired, makes it a natural for a baby born with a full head of it. Whichever way you say it, it is short, soft and easy to wear.
- Origin: Irish, English
- Meaning: Dark-haired, black (of hair and eyes)
- Pronunciation: KEE-ra, kee-AH-ruh, see-AIR-uh
- Variations: Kiera
- Namesakes: Ciara Bravo, an American actress. Camile Velasco, a Filipino-American singer.
- Popularity: Ciara placed #1,408 among U.S. girls in 2025, having first turned up in the data in 1972.
Cici
Cici sounds like a nickname because it was one, a pet form of Cecilia that grew up and moved out. It can be written Ceci, CiCi or Cece depending on how much visual bounce you want. Two identical syllables give it a light, sing-song quality that suits a small child perfectly. It also makes a good short form if you want a longer name on the paperwork.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Blind
- Pronunciation: SEE-see
- Variations: Cece
- Namesakes: CiCi Coleman, an English reality star. Cici Fani, an Indonesian Youtuber.
- Popularity: Cici ranked #13,560 in the U.S. in 2025, with 6 girls given the name that year.
Cierra
Cierra takes the Spanish word for mountain range and softens the opening consonant. It is often read alongside Ciara, which has led people to attach the Irish sense of dark to it as well. The two-syllable rise and fall makes it easy to call across a playground. Choose it if Sierra appeals but you want the C to do the work.
- Origin: Spanish, Irish
- Meaning: Mountains, black, dark-haired
- Pronunciation: see-AIR-uh
- Variations: Sierra, Ciara, Ciera, Ceara, Cearra
- Namesakes: Cierra Ramirez, an American actress, and singer.
- Popularity: Cierra sits at #2,727 in the U.S. for 2025, against a best of #180 back in 1997.
Cindy
Cindy is a short form of Lucinda, meaning light, and of Cinderella, meaning little ashes, with a rumored link to Cynthia as well. Whichever door it came through, it has been a standalone name for generations. It carries a bright, unfussy 1970s energy that is starting to sound charming again rather than dated. Model and actress Cindy Crawford is the reason most people picture the full name before any of its short forms.
- Origin: Greek, Latin
- Meaning: From Mount Kynthos, light, ashes
- Pronunciation: SIN-dee
- Variations: Cyndi, Cindi, Cyndy
- Namesakes: Cindy Crawford, an American model, and actress. Cindy Yen, born Cindy Wu, a Taiwanese-American songstress, and actress.
- Popularity: SSA data puts Cindy at #1,929 for 2025; it has appeared in the U.S. records since 1886.
Circe
Circe was the enchantress who turned Odysseus’s men into animals, which makes her one of the most formidable figures in Greek mythology. George R. R. Martin gave the sound a second life with Cersei Lannister, so the name now carries two very different kinds of power. Two syllables, and nobody forgets it. It suits parents who want a name with some steel in it.
- Origin: Greek, Latin
- Meaning: Bird, hawk
- Pronunciation: SEHR-see, SUR-see
- Variations: Cersei, Kirke
- Popularity: Circe ranked #4,792 in 2025, about 195% up on the previous decade of U.S. births.
Cirilla
Cirilla is the feminine form of Cyril, which means master or lord, so it hands a small girl a fairly large title. Fantasy readers know it from Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon, better known as Ciri, the second lead of The Witcher franchise. That nickname is half the appeal, short and sharp against the longer formal version. Three syllables, soft consonants, and a lot of character.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Mistress, lady
- Pronunciation: seh-RIH-luh, suh-RIH-luh
- Variations: Cyrilla
- Popularity: About one in every 24,390 American girls born now carries the name, putting Cirilla at #2,618 in 2025.
Citrine
Citrine is a yellow variety of quartz, named from the French citron for the lemon color it borrows, and it also appears as a Jewish surname, possibly from the Yiddish tsitrin, a lemon tree. Gemstone names are having a long moment, and this is one of the few still barely used. It last cleared the SSA’s five-births line in 2023, so it is about as rare as gemstone names get.
- Origin: French, Jewish
- Meaning: Lemon, lemon tree
- Pronunciation: SIH-treen
- Popularity: Citrine last cleared the SSA’s five-births reporting line in 2023, at #13,811, after a best U.S. showing of #9,712 in 2021.
Claire
Claire is the French form of Clara and comes from the Latin clarus, meaning bright or clear. It was once a boy’s name spelled Clair, and the added e turned it feminine somewhere along the way. One syllable, no ambiguity, and it sits beautifully in front of almost any middle name. The puns about being clear are inevitable, and worth it.
- Origin: French, Latin
- Meaning: Clear, bright
- Pronunciation: kl-AIR
- Variations: Clare
- Namesakes: Princess Claire of Belgium, a British-Belgian former land surveyor. Claire Baker, a Scottish Labour politician.
- Popularity: Claire is one of six C names inside the U.S. top 100, ranking #68 in 2025.
Claudette
Claudette is the French feminine of Claude, softened by a diminutive ending that makes it sound smaller than it is. Claudette Colvin refused to give up her bus seat in 1955 and made civil rights history as a teenager, which is a namesake worth having. Its bearers run from entertainers to activists to politicians, so the name has real range. Claudie and Ettie are the everyday forms.
- Origin: French, Latin
- Meaning: Lame
- Pronunciation: claw-DET
- Namesakes: Claudette Colvin, an American civil rights pioneer and nurse aide. Claudette Colbert, an American actress. Claudette Werleigh, Haiti’s first female prime minister.
- Popularity: Claudette sits at #10,266 in the U.S. for 2025, against a best of #232 back in 1936.
Claudia
Claudia is the feminine form of the Roman Claudius, and it has been in continuous use since antiquity. It is comfortable rather than showy, the kind of name that never looks out of place on a resume. Spain and Italy have kept it in steady rotation, which gives it an international ease. Model and actress Claudia Schiffer is the namesake most people picture first.
- Origin: Latin
- Meaning: Lame, enclosure
- Pronunciation: CLAW-dee-uh, CLA-oo-dee-a
- Variations: Claudea, Cloudia, Cláudia
- Namesakes: Claudia Schiffer, a UK-based German model, and actress. Cláudia Abreu Fonseca, a Brazilian actress, screenwriter, and producer.
- Popularity: SSA data puts Claudia at #1,096 for 2025; it has appeared in the U.S. records since 1880.
Clementine
Clementine carries the memory of the folk song Oh My Darling, Clementine, which is either a charm or a hurdle depending on your family. It also names the citrus hybrid, propagated by the French missionary Clement Rodier, whose name the fruit carries. That gives it both a tune and an orchard behind it. Clem, Clemmie and Tina all make the three syllables easy to live with.
- Origin: French, Latin
- Meaning: Merciful, mild
- Pronunciation: KLEH-men-teye-n, KLEH-men-teen
- Variations: Clémentine
- Namesakes: Clementine Hunter, an African-American self-taught folk artist. Clementine Abel, a German poet and writer under the pen name “Clelie Betemann.”
- Popularity: Clementine ranked #456 in 2025, about 215% up on the previous decade of U.S. births.
Cleopatra
Cleopatra belongs to one of the most famous rulers in history, which is a considerable inheritance for a newborn. Everybody already knows Cleo, so the full version is the interesting choice here. It is a badass name in the literal sense, built for a girl expected to hold her ground. Four syllables, no shrinking, and a nickname waiting whenever she wants one.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Glory of the father, her father’s glory
- Pronunciation: klee-uh-PA-truh, klee-oh-PA-truh
- Variations: Kleopatra
- Namesakes: Cleopatra Coleman, an Australian actress. Cleopatra Birrenbach, a Persian-American designer and entrepreneur.
- Popularity: Cleopatra has staged the biggest comeback on this list, recovering about 8.7 times over from its 1970 low to 2025.
Cloud
Cloud was a surname among early English and Native American families long before anyone thought to use it up front. It leans masculine in most places, though it is used for girls in plenty of them. Gamers will hear Cloud Strife of Final Fantasy VII first, which gives it an unexpectedly modern edge. One syllable, one image, and about as light as a name can get.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Smoke, visible vapor
- Pronunciation: KLOWD
- Variations: Cloude
- Namesakes: Cynthia Cloud, an American former Republican state auditor of Wyoming.
- Popularity: Cloud placed #3,095 among U.S. girls in 2025, having first turned up in the data in 1913.
Clover
Clover is a nature name with luck built into it, from the Old English clafre. It has an easy, unfussy sound that suits a child who will spend her time outdoors. Botanical picks like this have moved from quirky to mainstream over the past decade, and Clover is riding that wave. It sits comfortably beside other nature names without sounding like it is trying.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Meadow flower
- Pronunciation: KLOH-vr, KLOH-vuh
- Namesakes: Clover Margaret Moore, an Australian politician. Clover Blue Fortus, daughter of American guitarist, Richard Fortus.
- Popularity: Clover ranked #517 in the U.S. in 2025, with 578 girls given the name that year.
Coco
Coco began as a pet form for names starting with Co and then took on a life of its own. It also nods to cocoa, from the French cacao, and some read it as a Spanish diminutive of Socorro. Two identical syllables make it bouncy and instantly affectionate. It is playful enough for a toddler and, thanks to a certain designer, chic enough for an adult.
- Origin: English, French
- Meaning: Cocoa bean
- Pronunciation: KOH-koh
- Namesakes: Coco Love Alcorn, a Canadian jazz and pop singer. Coco Malia Camille Hapaikekoa Ho, a Hawaiian professional surfer.
- Popularity: Coco sits at #2,334 in the U.S. for 2025, against a best of #1,851 back in 2020.
Colette
Colette is a compact French pick with a triumphant meaning behind it. The sound is polished and elegant, with the stress landing firmly on the second syllable. Some have suggested a link to collier, the French word for a necklace, which suits how the name sits on the ear. It has been in the SSA’s records since 1892, and it now stands at #316 in 2025.
- Origin: French
- Meaning: People of victory
- Pronunciation: kuh-LET, ko-LET
- Variations: Collette
- Namesakes: Colette of Corbie, a French abbess, honored as a Catholic saint. Colette Carr, an American musician, and songwriter.
- Popularity: SSA data puts Colette at #316 for 2025; it has appeared in the U.S. records since 1892.
Connie
Connie began as a diminutive of Constance, Concetta, Constantia and Cornelia, which is an unusually large family to be short for. It is mostly a girl’s name and flexible enough to go the other way, as Connie Springer of Attack on Titan demonstrates. The sound sits in a comfortable middle ground, neither tough nor frilly. It has the warmth of a name that has already been through a few generations.
- Origin: English, Latin
- Meaning: Constancy, steadfastness
- Pronunciation: KO-nee, KAH-nee
- Variations: Conny
- Namesakes: Connie Achurra, a Chilean TV chef and healthy-eating activist. Connie Talbot, an English singer, and runner-up in season one of Britain’s Got Talent.
- Popularity: Connie ranked #3,075 in 2025, about 31% down on the previous decade of U.S. births.
Constance
Constance means exactly what it looks like, and few name meanings are as clear about the promise they make. It has a formal, upright quality that has kept it in steady use in France and England while quieter in the U.S. Connie takes the starch out of it in a second. If the current fashion for casual names ever turns, this is one of the first that will come back.
- Origin: French, Latin
- Meaning: Constancy, steadfastness
- Pronunciation: KON-stuhn-ss
- Namesakes: Princess Constance of Antioch. Constance of Aragon, an Aragonese infanta, queen, and Holy Roman Empress.
- Popularity: About one in every 11,364 American girls born now carries the name, putting Constance at #1,501 in 2025.
Cora
Cora is the Latinized form of Kore, the Greek maiden goddess, with a proposed Irish thread that gives it the sense of honest or virtuous. Four letters, one clear pronunciation, and a vintage feel that has aged into charm rather than dust. It works as a full name and as the short form for Coraline or Cordelia. Few names this simple manage to sound this finished.
- Origin: English, Greek, Latin
- Meaning: Maiden, daughter, little heart
- Pronunciation: KOR-uh
- Variations: Kora, Korra
- Namesakes: Cora Bussey Hillis, a child welfare advocate. Cora Camoin, a French actress. Cora Amalia Castilla, a Mexican politician, and activist.
- Popularity: Cora placed #113 among U.S. girls in 2025, having first turned up in the data in 1880.
Coral
Coral names the reef and the color at once, which is a lot of image for five letters. It has a warm, slightly retro quality, the kind of name that turns up on a great-grandmother and then skips three generations. The ocean association gives it depth without leaning on the usual sea-name suspects. Cora and Corrie are both there if you want something shorter for daily use.
- Origin: English, Latin
- Meaning: Sea growth, coral
- Pronunciation: KOR-ull
- Namesakes: Coral Rosemary Atkins, an English actress. Coral Browne, an Australian-American actress.
- Popularity: Coral ranked #1,931 in the U.S. in 2025, with 100 girls given the name that year.
Coralie
Coralie is the French elaboration of Coral, and the extra syllable turns something plain into something lyrical. Its roots run to a Greek or Latin word for colorful sea growths, keeping it firmly in the ocean family. It is a natural pick for parents who like Coral but want more to say. Cora and Callie both fall out of it easily.
- Origin: French, Latin
- Meaning: Coral
- Pronunciation: KOR-uh-lee
- Namesakes: Coralie Clément, a French singer. Coralie Balmy, a French freestyle swimmer.
- Popularity: Coralie sits at #2,964 in the U.S. for 2025, against a best of #898 back in 1929.
Corazon
Corazon means heart in Spanish, which makes it one of the most direct declarations of affection on this list. The accented spelling, Corazón with the stress on the last syllable, is the one to use if you want the Spanish rhythm intact. It is technically unisex and used mostly for girls. Saying mi corazon to your daughter every morning is reason enough on its own.
- Origin: Spanish
- Meaning: Heart
- Pronunciation: kor-A-sawn, kor-ra-SAWN
- Variations: Corazón
- Namesakes: Corazon Mizzi, a Maltese singer. Maria Corazon Aquino, a Filipina politician and former president of the Philippines.
- Popularity: SSA data puts Corazon at #7,979 for 2025; it has appeared in the U.S. records since 1933.
Cordelia
Cordelia belongs to the youngest and most honest daughter in Shakespeare’s King Lear, who told her father the truth and was exiled for it. That backbone is part of what parents are choosing when they pick it. One proposed meaning is heart of a lion, which fits the character exactly. It ranked #981 in 2025, about 40 percent up on the previous decade of U.S. births.
- Origin: Latin, French, Welsh
- Meaning: Heart, daughter of the sea, jewel of the sea
- Pronunciation: kor-DEEL-yuh, kor-DEEL-ya
- Variations: Cordeilla
- Namesakes: Cordelia Fine, a Canadian-born British philosopher of science, psychologist, and writer.
- Popularity: Cordelia ranked #981 in 2025, about 40% up on the previous decade of U.S. births.
Corinthia
Corinthia is stately, and it knows it, taking its name from the Greek regional unit around the city of Corinth. Four syllables of formality can feel like a lot on a newborn, but a nickname solves that quickly. Thea, Cora and Rin all soften it without losing the shape. It suits a family who likes classical names that have not been picked over.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Woman of Corinth
- Pronunciation: kor-IHN-thee-uh, kor-ihn-TYA
- Variations: Korinthia
- Popularity: Corinthia last cleared the SSA’s five-births reporting line in 2024, at #13,856, after a best U.S. showing of #2,625 in 1975.
Corleen
Corleen is a genuine rarity, turning up in small numbers across the U.S., England, South Africa and a few Caribbean islands. It may be a variant of the Irish Corlyn, which is scarcely more common. The two-syllable shape puts it in the same neighborhood as Charlene and Coralie without borrowing from either. Choose it if you want a name that sounds familiar and belongs to almost nobody.
- Origin: English, Irish
- Meaning: Girl
- Pronunciation: kor-LEEN
- Variations: Corlene, Corlyn
- Popularity: Corleen last cleared the SSA’s five-births reporting line in 1967, at #5,566, after a best U.S. showing of #4,034 in 1954.
Corrin
Corrin traces back to the Roman god of war Quirinus, whose name translates as a wielder of the spear. That gives it a fighting spirit without any of the heaviness a war name usually carries. It is short, modern-looking and easy to spell after one hearing. Worth knowing before you commit: the single r Corin leans masculine, so the spelling does real work here.
- Origin: English, Greek
- Meaning: Spear
- Pronunciation: KO-rihn
- Variations: Corin, Korin
- Namesakes: Corrin Evans, an American director, and actress. Corin Tucker, an American songstress, and guitarist.
- Popularity: Corrin is the rarest name here that the SSA still lists, at #15,435 in 2025, about one in 333,333 U.S. girls born.
Cosette
Cosette is best known as the heroine of Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables, though the name appears to have been around before the novel. The diminutive ending gives it a small, tucked-in warmth that few names manage. Given how many adaptations the story has had, it is genuinely surprising that Cosette never caught on more widely. Cosie and Ettie are both there for daily use.
- Origin: French
- Meaning: Little thing
- Pronunciation: ko-ZET, kuh-ZET, koh-ZET
- Variations: Cozette
- Namesakes: Cosette Simon, an American politician. Cosette Lee, a Canadian actress.
- Popularity: Cosette sits at #1,780 in the U.S. for 2025, against a best of #1,554 back in 2015.
Cosima
Cosima is the feminine form of Cosimo, and it means order, a word that shares a root with the cosmos. It carries a strong-but-delicate balance that suits parents drawn to Italian girl names without wanting the obvious ones. Singer Cosima De Vito keeps it in modern circulation. Countess Cosima von Bülow Pavoncelli, a British socialite, shows it carries just as well off the stage.
- Origin: Italian, Greek
- Meaning: Order, decency
- Pronunciation: ko-ZEE-mah, ko-ZEE-muh
- Namesakes: Cosima De Vito, an Australian pop and R&B singer-songwriter. Countess Cosima von Bülow Pavoncelli, a British socialite and philanthropist.
- Popularity: SSA data puts Cosima at #6,171 for 2025; it has appeared in the U.S. records since 1985.
Cote
Cote is a topographical surname turned first name, meaning a dweller by a slope, a riverbank or a shelter. It is one syllable and looks even shorter than it sounds. The French spellings, Côte and Coté with their accents, give it a different music entirely. It is one of those names that arguably sounds better in its original language.
- Origin: French, Latin, English
- Meaning: Dweller by a slope, riverbank or coast, shelter
- Pronunciation: KOH-t
- Variations: Côte, Côté, Coté
- Popularity: Cote last cleared the SSA’s five-births reporting line in 2006, at #12,394, after a best U.S. showing of #3,530 in 1993.
Courtney
Courtney is thought to come from Courtenay, a medieval aristocratic house with branches in both France and England. It has the confident, capable sound of a name that peaked with a generation now running things. Composer Courtney Bryan and motocross racer Courtney Duncan show it goes in unexpected directions. Court and Courtie are the everyday forms, and the noble backstory is a nice thing to hand over later.
- Origin: French, Latin
- Meaning: Short
- Pronunciation: KORT-nee, KAWT-nee
- Variations: Cortney
- Namesakes: Courtney Bryan, an American composer, and pianist. Courtney Duncan, a New Zealand professional motocross racer.
- Popularity: Courtney has fallen the furthest of these C names, down about 80% across the last 10 years of births against the 10 years before them.
Cova
Cova is Catalan and Galician, most likely topographic and connected to Covadonga, which is read as a cave of the spring. Teutonic roots have been suggested too, though the Iberian explanation is the one that holds up best. Four letters, two syllables, and a shape that looks modern despite its age. It is a quiet find for parents who want something Spanish but not Sofia.
- Origin: Catalan, Galician
- Meaning: Cave, cove
- Pronunciation: KOH-vuh
- Popularity: Cova placed #7,980 among U.S. girls in 2025, having first turned up in the data in 1913.
Cove
Cove means precisely what the word means, a small coastal inlet, and there is no hidden backstory to unpack. That plainness is exactly the appeal for a lot of parents right now. It is short, unisex and sits neatly beside Wren, Sage and the rest of the single-syllable nature names. Nothing about it requires spelling out over the phone.
- Origin: English
- Meaning: Cove, small coastal inlet
- Pronunciation: KOH-v
- Popularity: Cove is the fastest riser of these C names, up about 451% across the last 10 years of births against the 10 years before them.
Crystal
Crystal comes from the Greek for ice, and it covers everything from a diamond to a snowflake in one word. The 1980s stamped it firmly with a certain glamour, which is beginning to read as retro rather than dated. Krystal and Kristal are the spellings that came with it. Instrumentalist Crystal Taliefero-Pratt and figure skater Crystal Kiang give it a working life beyond the sparkle.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: Ice
- Pronunciation: KRIH-stull, KRIH-stl
- Variations: Krystal, Kristal
- Namesakes: Crystal Taliefero-Pratt, an American instrumentalist and vocalist. Crystal Kiang, a former Taiwanese-American figure skater.
- Popularity: Crystal sits at #1,145 in the U.S. for 2025, against a best of #9 back in 1982.
Cynthia
Cynthia means from Mount Kynthos, which gives it a Greek mountain and a long classical history to stand on. It has a poised, mid-century quality that pairs surprisingly well with a modern middle name. Model and actress Cynthia Bailey is the bearer most people picture. It has been in the SSA’s records since 1880 and still holds #1,014 in 2025.
- Origin: Greek
- Meaning: From Mount Kynthos/Cynthus
- Pronunciation: SIN-thee-uh
- Variations: Kynthia, Cynthea, Cintia
- Namesakes: Cynthia Bailey, an American model, actress, and TV personality. Cynthia Burbridge-Bishop, a Thai model, actress, beauty pageant titleholder, and judge.
- Popularity: SSA data puts Cynthia at #1,014 for 2025; it has appeared in the U.S. records since 1880.
Cyra
Cyra looks like something out of a fantasy novel, all crisp consonants and no wasted letters. It gets filed alongside Greek girl names, though its roots run British and Persian, and it comes from the masculine Cyrus. Where Cyrus is imperial, Cyra feels statuesque but relaxed enough for a playground. Kyra is the spelling that gets used more often, which is precisely why this one stands out.
- Origin: British, Persian
- Meaning: Sun, throne, lord or lady
- Pronunciation: SEYE-ruh, KEYE-ruh
- Variations: Kyra
- Namesakes: Saint Cyra, a martyred Irish abbess. Cyra McFadden, an American writer.
- Popularity: Cyra ranked #2,699 in 2025, about 74% up on the previous decade of U.S. births.
