French Names that Start With C

  1. Constant
    • Origin:

      French from Latin
    • Meaning:

      "steadfast"
    • Description:

      A traditional French male name that could, with American pronunciation, become an admirable word name.
  2. Cantrelle
    • Origin:

      French
    • Meaning:

      "song"
    • Description:

      Vocal name seldom heard, with most elle-ending names these days dropped in favor of the more straightforward Elle and Ella.
  3. Chaney
    • Origin:

      French
    • Meaning:

      "oak tree"
    • Description:

      Beautiful meaning for parents fond of nature-themed names that are a little less obvious. Actor Chaney Kley was one famous bearer of this surname-name.
  4. Christiane
    • Origin:

      German and French feminine form of Christian
    • Description:

      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.
  5. Clairette
    • Cadeau
      • Origin:

        French
      • Meaning:

        "gift"
      • Description:

        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.
    • Chardonnay
      • Origin:

        French, a dry white wine
      • Description:

        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.
    • Cinderella
      • Origin:

        French
      • Meaning:

        "little ash-girl"
      • Description:

        One familiar name never used for real people, for obvious reasons. Read more about Cinderella and other Disney Princess Names in our featured blog.
    • Christelle
      • Citron
        • Origin:

          French
        • Meaning:

          "lemon"
        • Description:

          A Gallic twist on a word or nature name, which has a nice lemony feel.
      • Claud
        • Coty
          • Origin:

            French surname
          • Description:

            Cosmetic reinvention of Cody.
        • Chesare
          • Cable
            • Origin:

              French
            • Meaning:

              "rope"
            • Description:

              Drop the C and arrive at an established biblical name.
          • Célina
            • Corneille
              • Candide
                • Origin:

                  French from Latin
                • Meaning:

                  "naive"
                • Description:

                  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.
              • Chandelle
                • Origin:

                  French
                • Meaning:

                  "candle"
                • Description:

                  Sounds classy...but isn't.
              • Charlot
                • Origin:

                  French nickname for Charles
                • Meaning:

                  "free man"
                • Description:

                  The way the French allude to Charlie Chaplin could make a charming name on its own, or a hip nickname alternate to Charlie or Chuck. It's also used in the Creole community.
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