Spanish Names that Start With C

Cristina is one case where the streamlined version feels more alluring.

Both Christian and Cristian rank in the US Top 500 names for boys, and while the classic "Ch" spelling is used more than four times as often, Cristian is still given to more than 1000 boys each year, and is often used in the Hispanic community.

Diminutive of Candelaria, a name derived from candle and given in honor of the festival of Candlemas, which marks the presentation of Christ in the temple and the purification of the Virgin Mother.

Shortening Francisco somehow makes it sound even cooler. Cisco is also the name of a digital security company.

Carlota is the preferred version of Charlotte in Spain and Portugal, each where it ranks among the Top 50 most popular girl names. Carlotta, with two Ts, is the Italian spelling.

The Spanish version, with its -eena ending, takes the name out of the Oh My Darlin' realm, which for many American parents may be just the thing.

Strongly associated with Cuban revolutionary Guevara.

Name given in honor of the Virgin Mary that might prove difficult for a modern Spanish-American child to pull off.

The craze for surname names is now moving beyond the English and Irish to include worldly Spanish names for boys like this historic one currently in the Top 1000.

A more romantic form of old school Clement, which ranks in the Top 100 boy names in Chile. Clemente, like Clement, derives from the Late Latin name Clemens, the name of 14 popes and several saints.

Cesaria, a modern feminine form of Caesar or the Latinate Cesar, has been obscure in the Western World but may stir to life along with other names that have their roots in ancient Rome. Cesarina, Cesarie, and Cesarea are other options.

This version adds some Italian flair to the somewhat stolid Constance.

Coletta is a Latin relative of the better-known French Colette, which is derived from Nicole and is ultimately a feminization of Nicholas. Only a handful of baby girls are named Coletta or Nicoletta in the US each year, making this one of the rarest of the many forms of the name.

Friendly but flimsy.

Cruz might be a sister for Concepcion and Corazon, although its masculine side was emphasized when the high profile David Beckhams chose it for their son.

As a term of endearment, maybe, but not as a proper name, where it would practically demand the refrain "Banana."