Baby names

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31 Cool & Classic Boy Names That Start With “C”

They’re cute and cheerful, just like your little man is sure to be.

If you thought that nine months was enough time to think of a name for your baby, think again. With so much importance placed on a name, it’s easy to understand why some parents-to-be choke under the pressure of having to bestow a name upon their baby that they’ve yet to meet. If you’re feeling lost, a good place to start is by looking for a specific letter of the alphabet to name your baby with, such as C. As this lengthy list of boy names that start with “C” shows, they can be classic, cute, and oh-so-charming.

What you’ll need to determine first, though, is how you want your “C” baby name to sound. Remember, “C” can have a hard sound, like the letter “K”, or it can sound soft, like an “S”. So when you’re deciding on boy names that start with “C”, you can either have a hard-sounding “C”, as in the name Connor, or a soft-sounding “C”, like in the name Cedric. If you’re wondering why that is, the letter C is hard before the vowels a, o, and u, while it takes on a softer tone before other vowels.

Ready to start making that baby name list? Start here.

1

Cameron

Although the meaning of the name Cameron might not exactly be a selling point — Cameron means “crooked nose” — there’s no denying that it’s a popular and classic name for both boys and girls. Cameron is a name of Scottish origin and when it comes to cute nicknames, you can’t beat Cam.

2

Cooper

Cooper is a boy’s name of Old English origin, . It means “barrel maker”, an ode to those old-fashioned names that were representative of professions, (think Baker, Hunter, or Marshall, for example). Nicknames for Cooper include Coop, Coopy, or — for those Abba fans out there — Cooper Trooper.

3

Christopher

A boy’s name of Greek origin, Christopher means “bearer of Christ” and derives from Christos (meaning “Christ”) and “phero” which means “to bear, carry”. And if you like the name Christopher but want to give it some pizzaz, you can always spell it as Christofer, Cristopher, Chrystofer, or even Chrystopher.

4

Connor

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With roots that trace back to Ireland and Scotland, Connor is a popular boy’s baby name. It means “descendant of hound” or “lover of hounds”. It might be perfect for a kid who’ll grow up to love pooches and other animals.

5

Caleb

Caleb is a boy’s name of Hebrew origin. It means “devotion to God”, and is a Biblical name from the Old Testament. It’s strong and classic.

6

Christian

If you’re looking for a religious name for your baby boy, consider Christian. It means “a follower of Christ” or “anointed” and derives from the Latin “Christianus”. Even though it was originally a male name, Christian has become a gender-neutral name for both boys and girls.

7

Colton

Sure, the name Colton might make you think of a horse, but it means something entirely different. In fact, Colton, which is a British boy name, means “swarthy person”, “from the coal or dark town” or “town, settlement”. It was once a surname of English and Irish origin, but became popular as a “C” boy’s name, too.

8

Carson

A gender-neutral name that starts with “C”, Carson is of Scottish and Irish origins. It means “son of marsh dwellers” or “son of Carr”. The once swampy-sounding surname is now a first name, and can be pronounced “Car-sen”, and not “Car-SON”. Bonus points for the Downton Abbey connection.

9

Camden

Nature-inspired first names can be beautiful, just like the name Camden. It means “winding valley” and is a gender-neutral name of Scottish descent. Like many classic names that starts with “C”, Camden originated as a surname.

10

Callum

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If you want to give your baby boy a “C” name that conjures up images of calm, consider Callum. It means “dove” and is of Scottish Gaelic descent. It’s also thought to derive from the Latin name Colmcille.

11

Crew

When you’re looking to name baby two (or four), you might want a name that will blend in with the rest of your crew. Hmmm, Crew. Now that’s a cool name for a kid. At least, Joanna Gaines of Fixer Upper fame thought so, and named her fifth baby Crew.

12

Cruz

Let’s say that you want a religious name but want to stay away from saints or other Biblical characters. Then Cruz might be the right name for your baby. The name means “cross” or “the cross of Christ” and is of Spanish origin. You’ll most likely find it used as a surname, but it’s begun to gain some footing as a first name for boys, too — likely because of the connection to the Cars movies.

13

Corbin

Corbin is a gender-neutral name of English origin. It has an aviary affinity, since it derives from the Anglo-Norman word “corb” which means “crow”. And if your baby is born with black hair, Corbin could be a good fit, since Corbin was used as a nickname to describe someone with dark hair.

14

Casey

When it comes to baby name meanings, Casey has a slew of them. With Irish/Gaelic origins, the name can mean anything from “vigilant” or “brave in battle” or “vigilant in war”. It’s thought to derive from the word “cathasaigh”, which means “watchful”.

15

Craig

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The name Craig has Scottish, Irish, and even Welsh ties. And that makes sense, since Craig means “rock” or “rocky”, which is sure a nod to the landscape of the countries that call Craig home.

16

Charlie

A nickname for Charles, Charlie is a boy’s name of German origin. It means “free man” and comes from the German word “karal” which gives the name its meaning. Once a traditional boy’s name, Charlie is now gender-neutral and can be a first name for boys and girls.

17

Cody

England and Ireland both lay claim to the name Cody. It means “helpful” but can also mean “pillow”. It is thought to derive from the Gaelic surname Mac Óda (son of Odo), which, if you say quickly, sounds kind of like Cody.

18

Carey

If the name is any indicator of your kid’s future choice in activities, be prepared to be building lots of forts when you choose the name Carey. Carey is a boy’s name of Irish origin and means “dark black”, but it also means “from the fort”, too.

19

Cayden

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When your baby is born hooting and hollering, Cayden is a fitting boy’s name that starts with “C”. it means “fighter” and has a few origins, from an American origin meaning “fighter” to a Gaelic surname of Mac Cadáin, which means “son of Cadáin”. And the word “Cadáin” coincidentally means “battler” or “fighter”.

20

Cade

Cade is cool “C” name for your little dude. It’s of British origin, and while the name’s meaning of “round” or “barrel” (as well as “stout” or “sturdy”) might not win you over, there’s no denying that Cade is one of those one-syllable boy’s names that is just unbeatable.

21

Cedric

There’s just something about the name Cedric that conjures up images of jolly ol’ England, right? And with good reason, since Cedric is a boy’s name of Old English origin. It means “kindly” and “loved” — much like your little guy.

22

Campbell

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Sure, you might think of soup when you think of the name Campbell, but there’s so much more to the name than chicken and noodles. It is of Scottish and Northern Irish origin. It means “crooked mouth” and derives from the Gaelic roots “cam” meaning “crooked” and “beul”, meaning “mouth”.

23

Cecil

If you’re expecting baby number six, then there’s no better name than Cecil. After all, it literally means “sixth” (but sounds so much better than a number). It’s a boy’s name of Welsh origin, deriving from the surname Seissylt, which comes from the Latin name Sextus, or “sixth”.

24

Claude

There’s nothing lame about the name Claude — even if it does mean “lame” or “limping”. Of course, Claude is a French name and it originates from the Latin name Claudius.

25

Camilo

Camilo means “helper to the priest” or “temple servant”. It’s of Spanish origin, originating from the Latin name Camillus. It’s pronounced “ka-Mee-loh” and can also mean “noble”, too.

26

Chase

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Hunting for great boys’ name that start with “C”? Well, the search is over, because Chase might be the one. Classic and strong and just a little preppy, it’s of French origin and means “to hunt”. Like many names, it originally started as a surname and became popular as a first name for boys — and girls.

27

Cosimo

With meanings like “beauty”, “order”, and “organization”, Cosimo might make the top of your boy names that start with “C”. It is of Italian origin and is the Italian version of the Greek name Cosmo.

28

Conrad

When you want to give your little guy a strong name, Conrad could be it. Of German descent, it means “brave counsel”, breaking down from the Proto-Germanic components “conja”, meaning “bold” and “rad”, meaning “counsel”. It might be a sign that you’ll be seeking your little sweetie’s advice as they get older.

29

Cole

The name Cole means just that — coal. The surname is of English origin and means “coal”, “black”, but it can also mean “victory of the people” as well.

30

Cash

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For a name that makes you think of money, Cash certainly has a lot of connections to various countries. When it comes to its Latin origin, Cash means “hollow”, but when you consider its English roots, it means “money case”, derived from the word “caisse”. And others think that Cash is an Indian word, originating from “kaasu” which means “coin”.

31

Curran

If his adorable looks weren’t enough to slay, his name certainly will. Curran is a baby boy’s name of Irish origin. It means “Descendant of the Spearman” and also “hero” or “dagger”.

Whatever “C” names end up on your baby names list, you’re sure to find the perfect name for your little guy. It just takes time — and a lot of searching – but you’ll get there.