French Names that Start With C

Once a cavalier Mississippi gambler type name, Chance has entered the mainstream since being endorsed by such celebrity dads as Larry King and Paul Hogan. Chance the Rapper has also boosted the name's popularity.

Romantic, and classy, this variation heats up Caroline and modernizes Carol, adding a southern accent. A popular choice in Portugal, Spain, Mexico, and Italy, it recently entered the US Top 500.

Capucine was a chic French actress half a century ago and has been one of the most fashionable girl names in France in recent decades, ranking in France's Top 100. Capucine is also popular in French-speaking Belgium. To Americans and other English speakers, this name still feels fresh -- so fresh that last year, no baby girls were named Capucine in the US.

The Anatolian mother goddess Cybele had a place in Greek, Roman, Trojan, and Anatolian mythology. Today, she has special meaning as a symbol of gender nonconformity.

There are much chicer versions of this name today, such as Claudie, Claudia, or Claude itself. Claudine is a name wobbling on the edge of extinction.

This courtly old Southern name has several cool male bearers: NFL player Courtney Brown, British jazz musician Courtney Pine, and Barbados-born economist Courtney Blackman, to name but a few.

Once seen as a dated French Claudette-Colbert feminization, along with Annette and Paulette, we can see Claudette moving into a more plausible Colette-Cosette arena. While some may be put off by the common "lame" meaning, some etymologists theorize that the name may relate to the word for enclosure or clause, an alternate meaning that may appeal to a child with a form of this otherwise-appealing name.

An aromatic, unconventional name.

Pronounced "crwa", this unusual name was chosen by Cedric the Entertainer for his son.

Cecile is a fairly common French saint's name, scattered throughout classic French literature--in Les Liaisons Dangereuses, in Balzac's Cousin Pons, and Zola's Germinal.

French form of Chloé. A popular choice with French-speaking parents, though people elsewhere may associate it most with luxury handbags.

Corentin is an intriguing saint's name fashionable in France but virtually unknown here-- which you may consider a big plus. St. Corentin possessed a magical fish that regenerated itself each night, feeding himself and his lucky visitors in perpetuity.

As frozen in the pre-Beatles era as short white gloves.

Undiscovered name of picturesque northern French port.

Eternally tied to the surname Chase, via the old English battle and ballad, the DC suburb, and the goofy SNL pratfaller (who was born Cornelius). It entered the US Top 1000 in 2014.

Caprice is a word name with an appealing sound and a light-hearted meaning. Caprice is a rare name, used for only ten baby girls in the US in 2023.

Charlie and its many forms are on the rise -- including Charley, which relates more directly to the male formal name Charles. Surprisingly, though, while the number of girls and boys named Charlie are nearly even, there are six times as many girls named Charley than boys.

Fans of the classic French designer would now more fashionably choose Coco.

Though associated with a French saint noted for her holiness and strength of character, this name is somewhat dated and it might be better to look to one of the more modern names popular for little girls in France today: Oceane, Lea, Manon.