French Names that Start With C

Cadeau puts a decidedly French-ified twist on the word name trend, but don't be surprised if you encounter ponies and poodles with the same moniker.

Attractive form still très Parisienne.

There are not one but two notable modern women with this name: journalist Christiane Amanpour and physician/author Christiane Northrup. In Germany, the pronunciation is kris-tee-AH-na while in France, it's kris-tee-AHN — and in the U.S., there's sure to be confusion. While Christiane is not stylish, it's a strong, attractive, unusual-though-familiar name.

An appealing surname-name that sounds perfectly feminine, unless you consider the association to Vice President Dick.

Strong, solid surname name. For many this name will be inextricably linked with former Vice President Dick Cheney - a hinderance or a virtue, depending on your political leanings.

Cyrille is a unisex French name, and its association with the suddenly suave Cyril has turned from a liability into an advantage.

Cosmetic reinvention of Cody.

Best-selling Prep author Curtis Sittenfeld made this one of the many boy names for girls" gaining in popularity and acceptability.

Cachet is one of those word names -- Cliché is the most egregious example -- that sounds lovely but seems slightly ridiculous when taken literally.

Sounds classy...but isn't.

Another one of those word names, like Cachet, with a pretty sound and a silly meaning: chambray is a fabric.

If you're actually considering this as a name for your child, you must have had a glass too many. But it's an awesome name for a white cat.

French saintly name, used for both boys and girls. Although not common in France, it has been used in small numbers for boys in the 2010s and 2020s. Candide, in its sense as the French word for "naive", was the title character of a satirical novel by Voltaire.