Dog Names That Start With C

Clove is a spice name that is a tad more piquant than Saffron or Cinnamon. It might get more attention now as a member of The Hunger Games family of names.

Canyon is a unique baby name evocative of natural splendor and the old Steve Canyon comic-strip heroism, making it an intriguing new word-name possibility.

A word name with fashionable o-ending that has associations with both the homespun fabric and the mottled cat. Alice Cooper named his daughter Calico decades ago.

While the most famous Channing is the very male Channing Tatum, the name is now given about a third of the time for girls. It makes an attractive surname-name for either gender.

A beaming, friendly Irish last-name-first-name waiting to be discovered.

Crimson is a rare unisex color name used more frequently among baby girls.

Cary Grant's debonair image has stood the test of time - he is still rated as one of the most handsome and admired men in Hollywood. There are not many other names that can combine good-looks, wit and such decency all in two little syllables.

Cayden is one of the many spellings of this popular name, made all the more popular when they're counted together. According to our annual playground analysis, sound-wise at least, Cayden is the 13th most popular name in the US, given to more than 10,600 baby boys.

In Roman mythology, Caelus was the god of the sky prior to Jupiter. It's one of the few names that's virtually one-of-a-kind yet fits in with current stylish choices such as Caius and Callum (neither of which Caelus is etymologically related to).

An Asian favorite.

From Haruki Murakami's Kafka on the Shore, the story of a boy named Kafka -- crow in Czech.

Only if you're madly nostalgic for sixties TV.

If you’re a fan of the annual animated Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, you’ll recognize the name of Rudolph’s beautiful doe sweetheart, pronounced cla-REES—uncomfortably close to the Silence of the Lambs pronunciation. Clarice was the name of the wife of Lorenzo de' Medici, and Clarice Cliff was a famed British ceramics artist. Though a Top 300 name from 1906 to 1934, modern parents might prefer the more delicate Clarissa.

Citrine is a type of quartz named after its citrus-colored hues. if Amethyst, Jasper, and Onyx (all other types of quartz) can be used, why not Citrine, which has a lovely French-sounding suffix. Citrine is one of the many rare and attractive girl names starting with C.

Rare and distinctive name with intimations of antiquity, also a Shakespearean character.

Charley is, at this point, an old-fashioned spelling for the most popular short form of Charles, better known these days as Charlie. But Charley is a classic and relates more directly to Charles.

One of the rarest of virtue names, Clemency could come back along with the more familiar Puritan virtue names such as Hope and Faith. It has a rhythmic three-syllable sound, and offers a more virtuous alternative to the more popular Clementine.

An ancient Celtic name worn by one of the Knights of the Round Table, as well as a semi-legendary Welsh King.

French form of Callistus or Callixtus, borne by several popes and saints.

Now that the Irish Ciaran and Ciara -- aka Kieran and Kiera -- are becoming more popular beyond their native shores, the short and strong Ciar might find some favor. As of now, more than 160 baby girls were named Ciara in the US last year, with half that many boys named Ciaran, but so far no baby boys named Ciar, though 17 were called Keir.