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$Unique_ID{PAR00370}
$Font{NP}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{Names for Girls: C}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{
Editors of Consumer Guide
Harder, Kelsey}
$Subject{Names Girls C}
$Log{}
The Ultimate Baby Name Book
Names for Girls: C
Caci (see Casey)
Cacilia (see Cecilia)
Cairistiona (see Christina)
Caitlin Welsh form of Catherine or Katharine. This name was seldom
before used in the United States, but it became very
popular in the 1980s. Perhaps its rhythmic cadence; the
original sound in the combination of two popular names,
Kate and Lynn; or the desire to use a less-common form of
Catherine has struck a chord with modern parents.
Famous name: Caitlin Thomas (writer)
Variations: Caitlan, Catlee, Catlin
Caitria (see Catherine, Katharine)
Cam (see Camilla)
Camella (see Camilla)
Camila (see Camilla)
Camilla Possibly Etruscan through Latin camillus, "messenger" or
"young ceremonial attendant." In Roman mythology, Camilla
was an attendant to the goddess Diana. In England, the
name was popular during the eighteenth century, when the
classics were revered. The name has always been popular in
Italy and France. The name was briefly popular in the
United States, perhaps because of Greta Garbo's role in the
1936 movie Camille. Its unfortunate contemporary
connotation is Hurricane Camille. Because of the damage
caused by Camille on the Texas coast in the 1960s, the name
was officially retired from the lists of names given to
hurricanes.
Nicknames: Cam, Cammie, Cammy, Millie, Milly
Variations: Camella, Camila (Spanish), Camille (French), Kamilla
(German and Polish)
Camille (see Camilla)
Cammie, Cammy (see Camilla)
Candace, Candice Greek kandake, "white." This was the name and title of the
queens of ancient Ethiopia. It has always been popular in
the United States.
Famous names: Candace Stevenson (poet)
Candice Bergen (actress)
Nicknames: Candee, Candi, Candie, Candy, Dace, Dacey, Kandi, Kandie,
Kandy
Variations: Candida (Spanish), Candis, Candita, Canducha, Daisy,
Kandace
Candee, Candi, Candie (see Candace)
Candida (see Candace)
Candis (see Candace)
Candita (see Candace)
Canducha (see Candace)
Candy Form of Candace and Candice; also, Sanskrit "sweet."
Carel (see Carol)
Caren (see Karen)
Caresse (see Carissa)
Carey (see Carol)
Cari (see Carol, Kerry)
Carilla Feminine form of Carl, Old German "a man or farmer."
Carin (see Karen)
Carina (see Karen)
Carisa (see Carissa)
Carissa Latin "dear little one."
Variations: Caresse (French), Carisa, Charissa, Cressie
Carla Feminine form of Carl, Old German "a man or farmer." This
name may have started out as a form of Caroline or
Charlotte.
Famous name: Carly Simon (singer)
Variations: Carlee, Carley, Carlie, Carlita, Carlotta, Carly, Carola,
Charlotte, Karla, Karlee, Karly
Carlen (see Carol)
Carlee, Carley, Charlie (see Carla)
Carlin (see Carol, Caroline)
Carline (see Charlotte)
Carling Old English Kerlinghou, "hill where old women or witches
gather," a place name in Yorkshire, England.
Carlita (see Carla, Carol)
Carlota (see Carol, Charlotte)
Carlotta (see Carla, Carol, Charlotte)
Carly (see Carla, Carol)
Carma Sanskrit "destiny"; also, a variation of Carmel or Carmen.
Variation: Karma
Carmea (see Carmen)
Carmel Hebrew "the garden." In the twelfth century, the order of
the Carmelite nuns was founded on Mt. Carmel in Israel. In
the United States, the name is usually associated with the
beautiful village of Carmel on Monterey peninsula in
California.
Nicknames: Carma, Carmie, Carmy, Lita
Variations: Carmela (Italian), Carmelina, Carmelita (Spanish),
Carmella, Carmen (Spanish), Karmel, Melina (Italian)
Carmela (see Carmel)
Carmelina (see Carmel, Carmen)
Carmelita (see Carmel)
Carmella (see Carmel)
Carmen Spanish form of Carmel; or Latin carmea, "song." Although
an unusual English name, Carmen is popular in Italy and
Spain.
Famous name: Carmen Miranda (entertainer)
Nicknames: Carma, Carmia
Variations: Carmea, Carmelina (Italian), Carmencita (Spanish),
Carmilina, Carmina, Carmine, Carmita, Charmain, Charmaine
Carmencita (see Carmen)
Carmia (see Carmen)
Carmie (see Carmel)
Carmilina (see Carmen)
Carmina (see Carmen)
Carmine (see Carmen)
Carmita (see Carmen)
Carmy (see Carmel)
Caro (see Carol, Caroline)
Carol French "song," also, Irish Cathaoir; also, feminine form
of Charles and a shortened form of Caroline. The names
Carolina and Caroline are much older than Carol, which
first appeared in the nineteenth century.
Famous names: Carol Burnett (actress)
Carol Kane (actress)
Other spellings: Carel, Carole, Carroll, Caryl
Nicknames: Carey, Cari, Carly, Caro, Carrie, Carry, Cary, Kari, Lina
(German), Lola, Lolita, Lotta, Lotti, Lottie
Variations: Carla, Carlen, Carlene, Carlin, Carlita, Carlota, Carlotta,
Carola (Latin), Carolin, Carolina (Italian), Caroline,
Carolyn, Charla, Charleen, Charlene, Charlina, Charlotta,
Charlotte (French), Charmain, Charmaine, Charmian,
Charmion, Cherlyn, Cheryl, Karel, Karla, Karlen, Karlene,
Karlotta, Karole, Karoline (German), Karoly, Sharleen,
Sharlene, Sharlet, Sharyl, Sheree, Sherri, Sherry, Sheryl
Carola (see Carol)
Carole Variation of Carol.
Famous name: Carole King (singer)
Caroliana (see Caroline)
Carolin (see Carol)
Carolina (see Carol, Caroline)
Caroline Feminine form of Carl, Old German "a man or farmer." This
name may have Italian origins, but it began appearing
frequently in eighteenth-century England after Caroline of
Anspach married George II and was crowned queen in 1727.
St. Caroline was the queen's granddaughter; she was
abandoned by her husband, later George IV, and founded a
new order of knighthood, the Order of St. Caroline. In
literature, the name was favored by George Gordon, Lord
Byron, who addressed three poems to Caroline. Today, the
name retains its association with royalty through Princess
Caroline of Monaco.
Famous names: Caroline Herrera (fashion designer)
Caroline Herschel (astronomer)
Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg (President Kennedy's daughter)
Nicknames: Caro, Carol, Carrie, Carry, Lina, Line, Lola, Loleta,
Lotte, Lotty
Variations: Carlin, Caroliana, Carolina (Spanish), Carrola, Cayoya,
Charleen, Charlene, Charlotte, Kara, Karla (German),
Karolina (Polish), Karoline, Lolanda, Sharleen, Sharlene,
Sharline
Carolyn Variation of Carol.
Famous name: Carolyn Waldo (swimmer)
Carrie, Carry Forms of Carol or Caroline. This name first appeared in
the nineteenth century and was very popular in the United
States. It was one of the top-50 names in 1875 and 1900.
After falling from favor with new parents, it enjoyed a
revival in the 1980s. The spelling Cary is usually
considered to be a boys' name.
Famous names: Carrie Fisher (actress)
Carry Nation (temperance leader)
Other spelling: Cary, Kerry
Carrola (see Caroline)
Carroll Variation of Carol.
Famous name: Carroll Baker (actress)
Cary (see Carrie, Carol)
Caryl (see Carol)
Casey From the Gaelic Cathasach, "brave." This traditionally
male name is currently being used for girls in the United
States.
Variations: Caci, Kaci, Kacie, Kasey
Cass (see Cassandra)
Cassandra Greek "the prophet." Cassandra was the unfortunate
daughter of Priam and Hecuba, the king and queen of Troy.
The god Apollo was attracted to her, and she agreed to a
liaison in exchange for the gift of prophecy. When she
spurned him, he sought revenge by making sure that his gift
would be useless; he caused her to be believed by no one.
Cassandra foresaw the fall of Troy but could do nothing to
prevent it. The Frame has never been popular, although the
nickname Cassie is beginning to be used more frequently.
Nicknames: Cass, Cassie, Sandi, Sandra, Sandy
Variations: Cassandre (French), Kassandra (Greek)
Cassandre (see Cassandra)
Cassie (see Cassandra, Catherine)
Cat (see Catherine)
Catalina (see Catherine, Katharine)
Caterina Original Latin form of Catherine or Katharine.
Cath (see Catherine)
Catharina (see Catherine, Katharine)
Catharine (see Catherine, Katharine)
Catherine Greek Aikaterine, meaning unknown; also, Greek katharos,
"pure." The original spelling of this name with a K was
changed by the Romans with the usual substitution of C for
K. No matter how it is spelled, this name has been
extremely popular since the Middle Ages and is associated
with purity, beauty, and grace. It is one of the few
feminine names that has consistently appeared among the
top-50 most-popular names in both England and the United
States since 1875. The third-century St. Catherine of
Alexandria is the first of many saints with this name. St.
Catherine's opposition to the worship of idols caused her
to be tortured on a spiked catherine wheel. When the wheel
shattered, 200 soldiers who had witnessed the scene were
immediately converted to Christianity. The Roman emperor
Maxentius was so infuriated that he ordered them all
beheaded. The story of St. Catherine of Siena has a more
historically factual basis. She was a fourteenth-century
saint who campaigned for the pope's return to Rome from
Avignon and resurgence of a devout life for all Christians.
There are at least three other saints with the name, St.
Catherine dei Ricci, St. Catherine of Genoa, and St.
Catherine of Bologna. The name also has an impressive
royal lineage in England, France, and Russia. The wife of
Henry II of France, Catherine di Medici, vigorously
persecuted the Huguenots. Catherine II, Empress of Russia,
was the wife of Peter III. She became known as Catherine
the Great and is famous both for her decadent personal life
and her long and impressive reign. In England, the
best-known Catherines are three of the wives of Henry VIII.
Katharine of Aragon was Henry's first wife, the widow of
his brother. His divorce from her led to the founding of
the Church of England. The unfortunate Catherine Howard
was beheaded because of her alleged adultery. Catharine
Parr, his sixth wife, outlived Henry, although she narrowly
escaped the fate of some of her predecessors. Literary
Catherines are also strong willed, from Shakespeare's The
Taming of the Shrew and Love's Labour's Lost to Ernest
Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms. Today, Catherine in its
many forms is the name of many prominent actresses,
including Catherine Bach, Kate Capshaw, Katharine Cornell,
Catherine Deneuve, Kathryn Grayson, Catherine Hicks, Kate
Jackson, Kate Mulgrew, Kate Nelligan, Catherine Oxenberg,
Katharine Ross, Katharine Schlesinger, Catherine Speak,
Kathleen Turner, Cathy Tyson, and, of course, the
incomparable Katharine Hepburn.
Other spellings: Catharine, Cathryn, Katharine, Kathryn
Nicknames: Cassie, Cat, Cath, Catie, Cathie, Cathy, Katy, Kay, Ketti
(German), Kitty, Reena, Rina, Trine (Norwegian)
Variations: Caitlin (Welsh), Caitria (Irish), Catalina (Italian),
Caterina (Italian), Catharina (Dutch), Cathleen, Cathweg,
Catrena, Catriona (Scottish), Ekaterina (Russian), Kaat,
Kaatje (Dutch), Kara, Karen, Karin, Karina, Kassia
(Slavic), Kate, Katharina (German), Katheryn, Kathleen,
Kathy, Katie, Katinka (Russian), Katren, Katri, Katrina,
Katrinka, Katterle (German), Katy
Cathie (see Catherine)
Cathleen (see Catherine, Katharine)
Cathryn (see Catherine, Katharine)
Cathweg (see Catherine, Katharine)
Cathy Form of Catherine.
Catie (see Catherine)
Catlee (see Caitlan)
Catlin (see Caitlan)
Catrena (see Catherine, Katharine)
Catriona (see Catherine, Katharine)
Caye (see Kay)
Cayoya (see Caroline)
Cecca (see Frances)
Ceccarella (see Frances)
Cecelia (see Cecilia)
Cecile (see Cecilia)
Cecilia Feminine form of Cecil, Latin caecus, "blind." St.
Cecilia was a third-century Christian who converted her
husband and brother, and was martyred for her faith. She's
the patron saint of music and has often been celebrated in
song and poetry. Chaucer tells her story in The Canterbury
Tales, while William Wordsworth, Alexander Pope, and John
Dryden wrote poems in honor of her and in celebration of
music.
Other spelling: Cecelia
Nicknames: Cele, Celie, Ciel, Cissie, Cissy, Sissie, Sissy
Variations: Cacilia (German), Cecile (French), Cecilie, Cecily, Celia
(Swedish), Celine (French), Cicely, Cicily, Kikelia,
Sheelagh, Sheelah (Irish), Sheila, Sheilah, Shelagh,
Sighile (Irish), Sile (Irish), Sileas (Scottish), Sisile
(Irish)
Cecilie, Cecily (see Cecilia)
Cecina (see Frances)
Cele (see Cecilia)
Celena (see Celeste, Selena)
Celene (see Celeste)
Celesta (see Celeste)
Celeste Latin caelum, "heaven." While the name has celestial
connotations, it is unusual.
Famous name: Celeste Holm (actress)
Variations: Celena, Celene, Celesta, Celestina, Celestine, Celestyn,
Celia, Celina (Polish), Shelina
Celestina (see Celeste)
Celestine (see Celeste)
Celestyn (see Celeste)
Celia (see Cecilia, Celeste)
Celie (see Cecilia, Selena)
Celina (see Celeste, Selena)
Celinda (see Selena)
Celinde (see Selena)
Celine (see Cecilia, Selena)
Celinee (see Selena)
Celvia (see Sylvia)
Channa (see Shannon)
Charise (see Cheryl)
Charissa (see Carissa)
Charla (see Carol)
Charlaine (see Charlene)
Charleen (see Carol, Caroline, Charlene, Charlotte)
Charlene Feminine form of Charles, Old German "a man or farmer."
Famous name: Charlene Tilton (actress)
Other spelling: Charleen
Variations: Carol, Caroline, Charlaine (French), Charlotte, Sharleen,
Sharlene
Charlina (see Carol)
Charline (see Charlotte)
Charlot (see Charlotte)
Charlotta (see Carol, Charlotte)
Charlotte Feminine form of Charles. The name Charles is derived from
Charlemagne, the ninth-century Frank king who became
Emperor of the West. The feminine form of the name is not
nearly as old. It is likely that it preceded Caroline,
another feminine form of Charles, but the name has never
been as popular with royalty as Caroline. Charlotte Corday
was the French revolutionary who stabbed Marat to death.
She died on the guillotine.
Famous names: Charlotte Bronte (writer)
Charlotte Rampling (actress)
Other spelling: Charlot
Nicknames: Carla, Charly, Karla, Lola, Loleta, Lolita, Lotta, Lottie,
Lotty
Variations: Carlene, Carline, Carlota (Spanish), Carlotta (Italian),
Carol, Caroline, Charleen, Charlene, Charline, Charlotta
(Swedish), Charyl, Cheryl, Karla, Karline, Karlotte
(German), Sharleen, Sharlene, Sheree, Sheri, Sherie,
Sherri, Sherrie, Sherrill, Sherry, Sheryl
Charly (see Charlotte)
Charmain, Charmaine (see Carmen, Carol)
Charmian (see Carol)
Charmion (see Carol)
Charyl (see Charlotte)
Chel (see Cherie)
Chelsea English place name. The current popularity of this name
may be influenced by the character played by actress Jane
Fonda in the Academy-Award-winning movie On Golden Pond.
Other spelling: Chelsey
Chelsey (see Chelsea)
Cher Variation of Cherie or Cheryl. The actress Cher created
her name from her given name, Cherilyn.
Chere, Cheri (see Cherie)
Cherie French chere, "cherished, beloved."
Variations: Cher, Chere, Cheri, Chel, Cherise, Cheryl, Searlait
(Irish), Sheryl
Cheril (see Cheryl)
Cherilyn (see Cheryl)
Cherise (see Cherie)
Cherlyn (see Carol)
Cherry Greek kerasion, "cherry tree or fruit." Names from plants
and flowers, such as Blossom, Fern, Pansy, Poppy, and
Viola, were popular around the turn of the century, and
Cherry seems to fall into this category. Marilyn Monroe
played a character named Cherry in the movie Bus Stop.
Variation: Cheryl
Cheryl Variation of Carol or Charlotte. This name may have begun
as a diminutive of Charlotte, but it's become a popular
name in its own right.
Famous name: Cheryl Ladd (actress)
Other spellings: Cheril, Cheryll, Sherryl, Sheryl, Sheryll
Nicknames: Cher, Cherie, Cherry, Sherry
Variations: Charise, Cherilyn, Sharise, Sherilyn
Cheryll (see Cheryl)
Chiara (see Clara)
Chichi (see Alice)
Chinue Ibo (Nigeria) "God's own blessing."
Chita (see Alice)
Chloe Greek kloe, "green, young plant."
Famous name: Chloe Webb (actress)
Variations: Clea, Cleo, Clo
Chris Form of Christina or Christine.
Famous name: Chris Evert (tennis player)
Other spellings: Cris, Kris
Chrissie, Chrissy (see Christina)
Christabel (see Christina)
Christal (see Christina)
Christie Variation of Christina.
Famous name: Christie Brinkley (fashion model)
Other spellings: Kristie, Kristy
Christin (see Kristen)
Christina Feminine form of Christian, Greek, "anointed one." The
third-century martyr St. Christina reportedly was shot to
death with arrows after angels helped her survive drowning.
In literature, the first character with this name was the
wife of Christian in John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress. The
eighteenth-century poets Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Robert
Burns addressed poems to Christabel and Cristina. The name
is exceedingly popular in the United States and northern
Europe, and has spun off many variations.
Famous name: Christina Rossetti (poet)
Other spellings: Cristina, Kristina
Nicknames: Chris, Chrissie, Chrissy, Christie, Cris, Crissie, Crissy,
Cristie, Kirsty, Kris, Kristie, Tina
Variations: Cairistiona (Scottish), Christabel, Christal, Christine,
Chryste, Karstin (Danish), Kirste (Scandinavian),
Kirsteen, Kirsten, Kirstie (Scottish), Kirstin (Norwegian),
Kristal (German), Kristen, Kristin, Krystyn (Polish),
Stina, Stine
Christine Feminine form of Christian, Greek "anointed one."
Famous name: Christine Kaufmann (actress)
Variations: Christina, Christiane (German)
Chrystal (see Crystal)
Chryste (see Christina)
Cicely Variation of Cecilia.
Famous name: Cicely Tyson (actress)
Cicily (see Cecilia)
Ciel (see Cecilia)
Cilla (see Priscilla)
Cinda (see Cyndi, Lucy)
Cindi, Cindie (see Cindy, Cynthia, Lucy)
Cindy Form of Cynthia or Lucy; also, French cendre, "ashes," with
reference to Cinderella.
Famous names: Cindy Crawford (fashion model)
Cindy Pickett (actress)
Other spellings: Cindi, Cindie, Cyndi
Cinthia (see Cynthia)
Cissie, Cissy (see Cecilia)
Claire French form of Clara.
Famous names: Claire Bloom (actress)
Claire Moore (artist)
Clairette (see Clara)
Clara From the Latin clarus, "bright, clear." Although it may
have older forms, this name appears to date to the
thirteenth century saint who founded an order of nuns who
emulated the Franciscan brothers. The English form Clare
was popular for many centuries, and the name has been
transformed into many variations. Clarinda was a popular
name in Restoration comedies, and Clarissa is the title
character of Samuel Richardson's popular
seventeenth-century novel. "Claribel," a poem by Alfred,
Lord Tennyson, highlights another variation, which became
famous in the 1950s through the clown Clarabell on the
children's television show Howdy Doody. Although Clara was
popular among the Victorians, it has not been a popular
name in the twentieth century. Today, the French form
Claire is the most popular variation, particularly in the
United States.
Famous names: Clara Barton (founder of the American Red Cross)
Clare Boothe Luce (playwright)
Variations: Chiara (Italian), Claire (French), Clairette (French),
Clare (Irish), Clarenda, Clareta (Spanish), Clarey,
Claribel, Clarice (French), Clarin, Clarina, Clarine,
Clarinda, Clarisa, Clarissa, Clarita, Clarivel, Clarotte,
Clarrisa, Clary, Glara, Klara (Polish), Klare (German),
Klarissa, Lara (Russian), Sorcha (Scottish)
Clare (see Clara)
Clarenda (see Clara)
Clareta (see Clara)
Clarey (see Clara)
Claribel (see Clara)
Clarice (see Clara)
Clarin (see Clara)
Clarina (see Clara)
Clarinda (see Clara)
Clarine (see Clara)
Clarisa, Clarissa (see Clara)
Clarita (see Clara)
Clarivel (see Clara)
Clarotte (see Clara)
Clarrisa (see Clara)
Clary (see Clara)
Claudette (see Claudia)
Claudia Feminine form of Claude, Latin "bright." This is a very
old name, dating in Britain to the first century. It is
more unusual today than it was 50 years ago.
Famous names: Claudia Cardinale (actress)
Claudette Colbert (actress)
Variations: Claudette, Claudina (Spanish), Claudine (French), Gladys
(Welsh), Klaudia (German)
Claudina (see Claudia)
Claudine (see Claudia)
Clea (see Chloe, Cleo)
Cleo Greek kleios, "praise, fame"; also, a form of Cleopatra.
Variations: Chloe, Clea, Clio
Clio (see Cleo)
Clo (see Chloe)
Clorinda Feminine form of Cloris. This name was coined by the
Italian poet Tasso in Jerusalem Delivered by adding the
Italian diminutive suffix -inda to Cloris.
Clotilda Old German Chlotichilda, "famous battle maiden," from hloda
[heavy] + hildi [battle].
Coleen Irish cailun, "girl." This name is distinctively Irish
and has never been popular in other countries except the
United States, where it was fairly popular earlier in this
century.
Famous names: Colleen Dewhurst (actress)
Colleen McCullough (novelist)
Other spelling: Colleen
Variations: Colena, Colene, Colline, Colly
Colena (see Coleen)
Colene (see Coleen)
Coletta (see Colette)
Colette Form of Nicole, French feminine form of Nicholas, Greek
"victorious people."
Famous name: Colette Sidonie (novelist)
Variations: Coletta, Coseta
Colie (see Nicole)
Colleen (see Coleen)
Collette (see Nicole)
Colline (see Coleen)
Colly (see Coleen)
Con (see Constance, Consuela)
Connie Form of Constance.
Famous name: Connie Chung (broadcast journalist)
Other spelling: Conny
Conny (see Connie, Constance, Consuela)
Consolacion (see Consuela)
Constance Latin constantia, "constancy"; feminine form of
Constantine. Among the Christians in the Roman Empire,
Constantine the Great was revered because he allowed the
practice of their religion. The name Constantia was used
in imperial Roman families, and it spread through the
empire. The diminutive form Connie is far more popular
today.
Famous names: Constance Bennett (actress)
Constance Towers (actress)
Nicknames: Con, Connie, Conny
Variations: Constancia, Constancy, Constantia, Constantina,
Constantine, Constanza (Spanish), Konstanze (German),
Kostancia (Russian), Stanca
Constancia (see Constance)
Constancy (see Constance)
Constantia (see Constance)
Constantina (see Constance)
Constantine (see Constance)
Constanza (see Constance)
Consuela Spanish from Latin "consolation." This popular Spanish
name is shortened from Nuestra Senora de Consuelo, Our Lady
of Consolation. It was the original name of the singers
Connie Francis and Connie Stevens.
Variations: Con, Connie, Consolacion
Cora Possibly Greek kore, "girl"; also, Irish corey, "spear."
In Greek mythology, Kore was the daughter of Demeter, the
goddess of grain. Kore was captured by the god of the
underworld, and to get her daughter back, Demeter had to
promise that Kore, renamed Persephone, would return to the
underworld for half of the year. The name Cora came into
use in the nineteenth century in England and was briefly
popular in the United States.
Variations: Coralie, Coreen, Corene, Coretta, Corette, Corina
(Spanish), Corinna, Corinne (French), Cory, Koren
Coral (see Corinna)
Coralie (see Cora, Corinna)
Corazon Spanish "heart."
Cordelia Possibly Gaelic "flower of the seas." This is a popular
Irish name, but it's unusual elsewhere. It is the name of
the tragic heroine of Shakespeare's King Lear.
Coreen, Corene (see Cora, Koren)
Coreta (see Coretta)
Coretta Variation of Cora.
Famous name: Coretta Scott King (civil rights activist)
Other spelling: Coreta
Corette (see Cora)
Corey (see Cory)
Corina (see Cora)
Corine (see Koren)
Corinna Form of Cora. This very old name is unusual today and may
have been at the height of its popularity in the
seventeenth century, when the name had several literary
references. The best known is probably Robert Herrick's
"Corinna's Going A-Maying," a poem that celebrates living
life to its fullest.
Variations: Coral, Coralie, Corinne (French)
Corinne (see Cora, Corinna)
Corliss Old English "cheerful."
Cornela (see Cornelia)
Cornelia Latin feminine form of Cornelius, a Roman family name
probably from cornus, "a horn." Despite its ancient
lineage, Cornelia has never been a popular name. The
best-known reference is the mother of two famous Romans,
Tiberius and Caius Gracchus.
Famous name: Cornelia Otis Skinner (actress)
Nicknames: Cornie, Nelie, Nella, Nell, Nila, Nellie
Variations: Cornela, Cornelie (French), Cornella, Cornelle, Cornilia
Cornelie (see Cornelia)
Cornella (see Cornelia)
Cornelle (see Cornelia)
Cornie (see Cornelia)
Cornilia (see Cornelia)
Cory Possibly from Irish corey, "spear"; or a form of Cora.
This modern girls' name used to be a masculine name, unless
it is derived from Cora, which was popular earlier in this
century.
Other spelling: Corey
Coseta (see Colette)
Cosima Greek "the world."
Courteney (see Courtney)
Courtney French "one who lives at court."
Other spelling: Courteney
Cressie (see Carissa)
Cris (see Chris, Christina)
Crissie, Crissy (see Christina)
Cristie (see Christina)
Cristina (see Christina)
Crystal Greek krystalio, "ice-clear, pure." This is one of
today's most-popular names. Its popularity has been
influenced by the character Krystle Carrington, played by
Linda Evans, on the television series Dynasty.
Famous name: Crystal Gayle (singer)
Variations: Chrystal, Kristal, Krystal, Krystle
Cybele (see Cybil, Sybil)
Cybil Variation of Sybil, Greek "soothsayer." This is a
contemporary spelling variation of the name Sybil.
Famous name: Cybill Shepherd (actress)
Other spellings: Cybele, Cybill, Cybille, Sybil
Cybill, Cybille (see Cybil, Sybil)
Cyd (see Cyndi)
Cyndi Form of Cynthia.
Famous name: Cyndi Lauper (singer)
Other spelling: Cyndy
Variations: Cyd, Cinda, Cindy, Cyndy, Sindy
Cyndie, Cyndy (see Cyndi, Cynthia, Lucy)
Cynth (see Cynthia)
Cynthia Greek Kynthia, meaning uncertain but associated with
Artemis, the moon goddess; also, Mt. Cynthus, a place
name. The Greek goddess Artemis had many names including
Phoebe, Diana, and Cynthia. Artemis was born on Mount
Cynthus, according to legend, which is apparently how the
name developed. Cynthia has always been a popular name,
perhaps more so today than at any other time in history.
Famous name: Cynthia Sikes (actress)
Other spelling: Cinthia
Nicknames: Cindi, Cindie, Cindy, Cyndi, Cyndy, Cynth, Cynthie