Caoimhe f IrishDerived from Irish
caomh meaning
"dear, beloved, gentle".
Capri f English (Modern)From the name of the picturesque Italian island of Capri. It is likely from Greek
κάπρος (kapros) meaning "wild boar", though it could also be of Etruscan origin or from Latin
capri meaning "goats".
Caprice f EnglishFrom the English word meaning
"impulse", ultimately (via French) from Italian
capriccio.
Capucine f FrenchMeans
"nasturtium" in French. This was the stage name of the French actress and model Capucine (1928-1990).
Cardea f Roman MythologyDerived from Latin
cardo meaning
"hinge, axis". This was the name of the Roman goddess of thresholds, door pivots, and change.
Caridad f SpanishMeans
"charity" in Spanish. It is taken from the title of the Virgin
Mary,
Nuestra Señora de la Caridad, meaning "Our Lady of Charity". This is the name of the patron saint of Cuba, with a shrine located in the town of El Cobre.
Carina 1 f English, Portuguese, Spanish, German, Late RomanLate Latin name derived from
cara meaning
"dear, beloved". This was the name of a 4th-century saint and martyr. It is also the name of a constellation in the southern sky, though in this case it means "keel" in Latin, referring to a part of
Jason's ship the Argo.
Carita f SwedishDerived from Latin
caritas meaning
"dearness, esteem, love".
Carlisle m & f English (Rare)From a surname that was derived from the name of a city in northern England. The city was originally called by the Romans
Luguvalium meaning "stronghold of
Lugus". Later the Brythonic element
ker "fort" was appended to the name of the city.
Carmel f & m English, JewishFrom the title of the Virgin
Mary Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
כַּרְמֶל (Karmel) (meaning "garden" in Hebrew) is a mountain in Israel mentioned in the Old Testament. It was the site of several early Christian monasteries. As an English given name, it has mainly been used by Catholics. As a Jewish name it is unisex.
Carminho f PortugueseDiminutive of
Carmo. It has been popularized in Portugal by the singer simply known as Carminho (1984-).
Caron f & m WelshFrom the name of places near the town of Tregaron in Ceredigion, Wales.
Carys f WelshDerived from Welsh
caru meaning
"love". This is a relatively modern Welsh name, in common use only since the middle of the 20th century.
Casilda f SpanishMeaning uncertain. This is the name of the 11th-century patron saint of Toledo, Spain. It might have an Arabic origin (Saint Casilda was a Moorish princess), perhaps from
قصيدة (qasidah) meaning
"poem". Alternatively it could be derived from a Visigothic name in which the second element is
hilds meaning "battle".
Cassarah f English (Rare)Recently created name intended to mean
"what will be, will be". It is from the title of the 1956 song
Que Sera, Sera, which was taken from the Italian phrase
che sarà sarà. The phrase
que sera, sera is not grammatically correct in any Romance language.
Cassidy f & m English (Modern)From an Irish surname (Anglicized from Irish Gaelic
Ó Caiside), which is derived from the byname
Caiside. Very rare as a given name before the 1970s, it established itself in the 80s and then surged in popularity during the 90s.
Cat f & m EnglishDiminutive of
Catherine. It can also be a nickname from the English word for the animal.
Cataleya f Various (Rare)Variant of
cattleya, a genus of orchids native to Central and South America, which were named for the British horticulturist William Cattley. This name was popularized by the main character from the movie
Colombiana (2011).
Cedar f & m English (Rare)From the English word for the coniferous tree, derived (via Old French and Latin) from Greek
κέδρος (kedros).
Céibhfhionn f Irish MythologyMeans
"fair-haired", from Old Irish
ciab "locks, hair" and
finn "white, blessed". In Irish legend this was the name of one of the three daughters of Bec mac Buain.
Ceinwen f WelshDerived from Welsh
cain "good, lovely" and
gwen "white, blessed". This was the name of a 5th-century Welsh saint also known as
Cain or
Keyne.
Celestine f & m EnglishEnglish form of
Caelestinus. It is more commonly used as a feminine name, from the French feminine form
Célestine.
Celinda f English (Rare)Probably a blend of
Celia and
Linda. This is also the Spanish name for a variety of shrub with white flowers, known as sweet mock-orange in English (species Philadelphus coronarius).
Celyn m & f WelshMeans
"holly" in Welsh. It appears briefly in the Welsh tale
Culhwch and Olwen, belonging to a son of Caw, but was not typically used as a given name until the 20th century.
Cemre f TurkishFrom a term used in Turkish folklore referring to the warming of temperature at the end of winter, thought to occur in three stages affecting air, water, then earth.
Cennet f TurkishMeans
"paradise, garden" in Turkish, derived from Arabic
جنّة (jannah).
Ceren f TurkishMeans
"gazelle" in Turkish (probably of Mongolian origin, originally referring to the Mongolian gazelle, the zeren).
Ceres f Roman MythologyDerived from the Indo-European root *
ker- meaning
"grow, increase". In Roman mythology Ceres was the goddess of agriculture, equivalent to the Greek goddess
Demeter.
Ceri f & m WelshMeaning uncertain. It could come from the name of the Ceri River in Ceredigion, Wales; it could be a short form of
Ceridwen; it could be derived from Welsh
caru meaning "to love".
Ceridwen f WelshPossibly from
cyrrid "bent, crooked" (a derivative of Old Welsh
cwrr "corner") combined with
ben "woman" or
gwen "white, blessed". According to the medieval Welsh legend the
Tale of Taliesin (recorded by Elis Gruffyd in the 16th century) this was the name of a sorceress who created a potion that would grant wisdom to her son Morfan. The potion was instead consumed by her servant Gwion Bach, who was subsequently reborn as the renowned bard
Taliesin.
... [more] Chae-Won f KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
采 (chae) meaning "collect, gather, pluck" or
彩 (chae) meaning "colour" combined with
原 (won) meaning "source, origin, beginning". Other hanja combinations can also form this name.
Chae-Yeong f KoreanFrom Sino-Korean
彩 (chae) meaning "colour" combined with
榮 (yeong) meaning "glory, honour" or
瑛 (yeong) meaning "jade". This name can be formed using other hanja combinations as well.
Chalkis f Greek MythologyDerived from Greek
χαλκός (chalkos) meaning
"copper, bronze". According to Greek mythology this was the name of a naiad, said to be the namesake of the city of Chalkis on Euboia.
Chanda m & f Hinduism, HindiMeans
"fierce, hot, passionate" in Sanskrit. This is a transcription of both the masculine form
चण्ड and the feminine form
चण्डा (an epithet of the Hindu goddess
Durga).
Chandler m & f EnglishFrom an occupational surname that meant
"candle seller" or
"candle maker" in Middle English, ultimately from Latin
candela via Old French. It surged in popularity after the 1994 debut of the American sitcom
Friends, featuring a character by this name.
Chanel f EnglishFrom a French surname that meant either
"channel", indicating a person who lived near a channel of water, or
"jug, jar, bottle", indicating a manufacturer of jugs. It has been used as an American given name since 1970s, influenced by the Chanel brand name (a line of women's clothing and perfume), which was named for French fashion designer Coco Chanel (1883-1971).
Chang'e f Chinese MythologyMeans
"beautiful Chang", from Chinese
嫦 (Chang), a character that refers to the goddess herself, combined with
娥 (é) meaning "beautiful, good". In Chinese mythology this is the name of a goddess of the moon, the wife of the archer Hou Yi. Her original name
姮娥 (Heng'e) was changed to avoid the taboo of sharing a homophonic character with the 2nd-century BC Emperor Wen of Han (personal name
Heng).
Channary f KhmerMeans
"moon-faced girl" from Khmer
ចន្ទ (chan) meaning "moon" and
នារី (neari) meaning "woman, girl".
Chantal f French, English, DutchFrom a French surname that was derived from a place name meaning
"stony". It was originally given in honour of Saint Jeanne-Françoise de Chantal, the founder of the Visitation Order in the 17th century. It has become associated with French
chant "song".
Chao m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
超 (chāo) meaning "surpass, leap over" (which is usually only masculine),
潮 (cháo) meaning "tide, flow, damp", or other characters that are pronounced similarly.
Charikleia f Greek, Ancient GreekFrom Greek
χάρις (charis) meaning "grace, kindness" and
κλέος (kleos) meaning "glory". This is the name of the heroine of the 3rd-century novel
Aethiopica, about the love between Charikleia and Theagenes, written by Heliodorus of Emesa.
Charisse f EnglishFrom a French surname of unknown meaning. It was used as a given name in honour of American actress and dancer Cyd Charisse (1921-2008).
Charlize f AfrikaansFeminine form of
Charles using the popular Afrikaans name suffix
ize. This name was popularized by South African actress Charlize Theron (1975-), who was named after her father Charles.
Chastity f EnglishFrom the English word
chastity, which is ultimately from Latin
castus "pure". It was borne by the child of Sonny Bono and Cher, which probably led to the name's increase in popularity during the 1970s.
Chen 1 m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
晨 (chén) or
辰 (chén), both meaning "morning". The character
辰 also refers to the fifth Earthly Branch (7 AM to 9 AM), which is itself associated with the dragon of the Chinese zodiac. This name can be formed from other characters as well.
Cheng m & f ChineseFrom Chinese
成 (chéng) meaning "completed, finished, succeeded" or
诚 (chéng) meaning "sincere, honest, true", as well as other characters that are pronounced similarly.
Cher f EnglishShort form of
Cheryl. In the case of the American musician Cher (1946-), it is short for her real name
Cherilyn.
Cherokee f & m English (Rare)Probably derived from the Creek word
tciloki meaning "people of a different speech". This is the name of a Native American people who live in the east of North America.
Chesley m & f English (Rare)From a surname that was originally from a place name meaning
"camp meadow" in Old English.
Cheyenne f EnglishDerived from the Lakota word
šahiyena meaning "red speakers". This is the name of a Native American people of the Great Plains. The name was supposedly given to the Cheyenne by the Lakota because their language was unrelated to their own. As a given name, it has been in use since the 1950s.
Chiaki f & m JapaneseFrom Japanese
千 (chi) meaning "thousand" combined with
秋 (aki) meaning "autumn",
晶 (aki) meaning "clear, crystal" or
明 (aki) meaning "bright, light, clear". This name can also be formed from other kanji combinations.
Chiara f ItalianItalian form of
Clara. Saint Chiara (commonly called
Clare in English) was a follower of Saint Francis of Assisi.
Chidi m & f IgboMeans
"God exists" in Igbo, derived from
Chi 2, referring to God, and
dị meaning "is". It is also a short form of Igbo names beginning with
Chidi.
Chie f JapaneseFrom Japanese
千 (chi) meaning "thousand" combined with
枝 (e) meaning "branch",
恵 (e) meaning "favour, benefit" or
絵 (e) meaning "picture, painting". Other kanji combinations are also possible.
Chiharu f & m JapaneseFrom Japanese
千 (chi) meaning "thousand" combined with
春 (haru) meaning "spring". Other combinations of kanji characters can form this name as well.
Chihiro f & m JapaneseFrom Japanese
千 (chi) meaning "thousand" and
尋 (hiro) meaning "fathom, armspan", as well as other kanji combinations. This is the name of the main character in the Japanese animated movie
Spirited Away (2001).
Chika 2 f JapaneseFrom Japanese
千 (chi) meaning "thousand",
智 (chi) meaning "wisdom, intellect" or
散 (chi) meaning "scatter" combined with
佳 (ka) meaning "good, beautiful" or
花 (ka) meaning "flower". Other kanji combinations are also possible.
Chikako f JapaneseFrom Japanese
千 (chi) meaning "thousand",
香 (ka) meaning "fragrance" and
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations can be possible.
Chima m & f IgboMeans
"God knows" in Igbo, derived from
Chi 2, referring to God, and
má meaning "know".
China f English (Modern)From the name of the Asian country, ultimately derived from
Qin, the name of a dynasty that ruled there in the 3rd century BC.
Chinatsu f JapaneseFrom Japanese
千 (chi) meaning "thousand" and
夏 (natsu) meaning "summer", as well as other kanji combinations.
Chinwe f IgboMeans
"God possesses" in Igbo. It is also a short form of Igbo names beginning with
Chinwe.
Chinyere f IgboMeans
"God gave" in Igbo, derived from
Chi 2, referring to God, and
nyè meaning "give".
Chioma f IgboMeans
"good God" in Igbo, derived from
Chi 2, referring to God, and
ọ́má meaning "good, beautiful".
Chione f Greek MythologyFrom Greek
χιών (chion) meaning
"snow". In Greek mythology this is the name of a daughter of the north wind
Boreas. Another figure by this name is the daughter of the naiad
Callirrhoe who was transformed into a snow cloud.
Chisom f & m IgboMeans
"God goes with me" in Igbo.
Chiyo f JapaneseFrom Japanese
千 (chi) meaning "thousand" combined with
代 (yo) meaning "generation" or
世 (yo) meaning "world". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Chiyoko f JapaneseFrom Japanese
千 (chi) meaning "thousand" and
代 (yo) meaning "generation" and
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other combinations of kanji characters are possible.
Chizoba f & m IgboMeans
"God continues to save" in Igbo.
Chizuko f JapaneseFrom Japanese
千 (chi) meaning "thousand" and
鶴 (tsu) meaning "crane (bird)" and
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other combinations of kanji characters can also form this name.
Chizuru f JapaneseFrom Japanese
千 (chi) meaning "thousand" and
鶴 (tsuru) meaning "crane (bird)". A Japanese legend says that a person who folds a thousand origami cranes within one year will be granted a wish.
Chloris f Greek MythologyDerived from Greek
χλωρός (chloros) meaning
"pale green". Chloris, in Greek mythology, was a minor goddess of vegetation.
Chōko f JapaneseFrom Japanese
蝶 (chō) meaning "butterfly" and
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations can be possible.
Chrissy f EnglishDiminutive of
Christine or
Christina. This name briefly jumped in popularity after the 1977 premiere of the American sitcom
Three's Company, featuring a character by this name.
Christabel f English (Rare)Combination of
Christina and the name suffix
bel (inspired by Latin
bella "beautiful"). This name occurs in medieval literature, and was later used by Samuel Taylor Coleridge in his 1816 poem
Christabel.
Chrysanta f English (Rare)Shortened form of the word
chrysanthemum, the name of a flowering plant, which means "golden flower" in Greek.
Chryseis f Greek MythologyPatronymic derived from
Chryses. In Greek legend she was the daughter of Chryses, a priest of
Apollo. After she was taken prisoner by the Greeks besieging Troy, Apollo sent a plague into their camp, forcing the Greeks to release her.
Chthonia f Greek MythologyMeans
"of the earth, underground" in Greek, a derivative of
χθών (chthon) meaning "earth, ground, soil". This was an epithet of the Greek goddess
Demeter.
Chun f & m ChineseFrom Chinese
春 (chūn) meaning "spring (season)" or other characters with a similar pronunciation.