Gender-neutral names beginning with C
119. Cameron (or Camryn)
Origin: Scottish, Irish
Meaning: Crooked nose
120. Casey
121. Cary
Origin: Welsh origin
Meaning: Pure
122. Charlie
123. Cody
Origin: Irish Gaelic
Meaning: Helpful person
124. Colby
125. Cove
What Mumsnetters say about gender-neutral names beginning with C
“Casey? I really love this name for a boy. It's a more common name for a girl in the UK but boy in America.” - Mumsnet user, nowayhomer
How to choose a baby name beginning with C
If you prefer the ‘soft ch’ sound, look to Charles, Channing and Charlize.
Don’t forget that some C names throw out the rule book. We’re looking at you, Chloe, a ‘ch’ name which starts with a ‘hard C’ sound and Cyrus, which starts with an ‘s’ sound.
Do you want a popular baby name? Then pick one of the most well-used names in England and Wales listed by ONS. Use the Central Statistics Office and Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency for Ireland and the National Records of Scotland for Scottish names.
If you want something less popular, check out the lists mentioned above and avoid the names on them!
Look for more inspiration on Mumsnet by reading all our baby names for more great ideas.
Check out Mumsnet’s Baby Names forum to see which C names Mumsnetters are going crazy about.
Consider some of the great British names beginning with C, including Cordelia, Carys, Ciarán, Connal and Caspian.
Look at royal names - Charles, Camilla, Catherine, Charlotte and Carlos are some of the C names belonging to current and historic royalty, both in the UK and abroad.
Jump on the short name trend and choose a name which sounds even snappier when it starts with a ‘hard C’ - Cara, Cleo, Cian and Coco fit the bill.
Nature, fruit, gems and flowers are great for inspiration; how about Cherry, Clementine, Crystal, Coral, Clover and Cove?
Emulate one of the many A-list celebs who have names beginning with C. There’s Cillian (Murphy), Charlize (Theron) and Channing (Tatum) for starters.
Consider the initials of your baby’s full name (first, middle and surname) together - do they spell anything embarrassing? Avoid at all costs if so.
Think about whether anyone else in your family has an initial C name - when your child gets mail, it could be confusing if someone else in your household has the same initial and surname.
What is the best C name for a girl?
The most popular girl’s names beginning with C are Chloe and Clara, which appear in the latest ONS top 100 list. The following C names are also really popular with Mumsnetters on our Baby Names forum: Clodagh, Cassia, Claudia and Cara.
What is the best C name for a boy?
The boys' names beginning with C that are currently most popular are: Caleb, Carter, Charles, Charlie and Chester. These all appear in the latest ONS list. Additionally, Mumsnetters on our Baby Names forum rate initial C names for boys, including Christopher, Conal, Cooper and Conrad.
What are rare names that start with C?
Rare names starting with C are names that don’t appear on the most popular lists. These include Cordelia, Celeste, Cary and Chip.
About the author
Louise Baty writes parenting content for Mumsnet, producing product round-ups, travel guides and baby name articles. She’s also written content for Mumsnet’s sister site, Gransnet.
Originally from West Yorkshire and now based in Nottinghamshire, Louise has worked as a features writer for consumer magazines and national newspapers for 20 years. She specialises in parenting and lifestyle features and emotional true life first-person interviews and has authored four non-fiction books on parenting and grandparenting.
Mum to two tweenagers, Louise’s own baby name choosing days may be long gone. However, she admits to having spent a LONG time deciding on her DCs’ names, together with her partner.
For this reason, Louise has a particular interest in baby names. She understands how difficult it can be to narrow down a short list from your long list of baby names, either during pregnancy or during the sleep-deprived days following the birth of your baby.
By compiling comprehensive and easy-to-follow baby name round-ups for Mumsnet, she hopes to provide inspiration and support to parents-to-be who are looking for the perfect name for their baby.