Latin Names that Start With C

A beautiful flower name deriving from the Latin word for dove. Sadly, in America this name is now forever linked with a tragic terrorist attack on a Colorado high school.

Columbine

Soaring astral name has a great gender-free feel. It also has a pleasing christmas connotation, courtesy of the reindeer listed in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Comet

The Spanish word for "shell" is a new addition to the quickly growing list of ocean-inspired nature names.

Concha

A modern virtue name with a peaceful meaning, this spelling in particular may be associated with the now retired, supersonic airliner. 

Concorde

Corvina sounds quite similar to a car model, although it has a gorgeous meaning and could be an interesting dramatic full name for the nickname Cora.

Corvina

A playful yet strong sounding nickname name that could work as an alternative to Katie, Cory, Casey, Cora, or Rory. Deriving from Cordelia or Cordula, which originate from the Latin cor, Cordy could mean "heart".
 
As a unisex name, it also comes from the Germanic Conrad.

Cordy

Cornelia is the feminine form of the Ancient Roman Cornelius. Both names were popular in the US in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but have dropped off the Top 1000. In the most recent year counted, there were about 40 baby girls named Cornelia and 80 boys named Cornelius. But we doubt many of those would be nicknamed Corny.

Corny

Carna was a Roman goddess of the heart and flesh. She was eventually conflated with Cardea, goddess of hinges.

Carna

Corsica, the picturesque Mediterrean island birthplace of Napoleon, makes an easy switch from atlas to baby name book, with its delicate, feminine ending. Just don't consider neighboring island Sardinia. 

Corsica

Corva has the sounds of both vintage Cora and the contemporary favorite Ava, but manages to feel dark and witchy thanks to its corvid connections. 

Corva

Derived from the Latin Crescentius and Crescens, Crescentia is a bold, strong but elaborate name borne by a 4th century saint and also the heroine of a 12th century German romance. Also spelled Kreszentia, it feels connected to the moon, due to its similarity to the word crescent. 

Crescentia

Cruise

The most prominent person with this unusual geographical choice might be actor Cuba Gooding Jr., however, Cuba has a far longer history as a feminine name. Deriving from the island in the Caribbean Sea, it had a brief spell of popularity in the US at the end of the 1890s, when Spain lost possession of the island during the Spanish-American War. Used predominantly (though rarely) on girls throughout the last century, it has occasionally been given to a handful of boys too
 
The exact meaning and origins of the place name are unknown, though it is conjectured that it comes from the extinct Taíno language and could mean "where the fertile land is abundant" or "great place". Alternatively, it could derive from the Palace of Cuba in Italy, whose name might literally come from the word cubical or from the Arabic Qubba meaning "dome" — in reference to the shape of the building. There is also a Roman Goddess of the name, who is said to have helped see a child from cradle to bed. 
 
Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. was named in honor of his grandfather's first wife, whom he had met and married after fleeing to the island in the 1930s; when she was murdered, he promised to name his first son Cuba, which he did, and soul singer Cuba Sr. then gave the name to his son too. 
 More recently, social media influencers and YouTube couple, Jess and Gabriel Conte, named their son Cuba Malachi in 2024. The name has raised some eyebrows among their followers for its unusualness — and perhaps because some might think of the fraught history the island has with the US. Nevertheless, it is almost reminiscent of the likes of Luna, Cooper, Ember and Cora, so time will tell if other parents begin to consider the name for any gender.

Cuba

The Roman goddess of care and concern was said to have created humans out of clay.

Cura

Unfortunately, everyone will hear Crispina, the feminine form of Crispin, as Christina. 

Crispina

Cyrille is a unisex French name, and its association with the suddenly suave Cyril has turned from a liability into an advantage.

Cyrille

Cajetan is the English form of the Late Roman Caietanus meaning "from Caieta" — a small town in ancient Italy. The name is notably associated with the 16th century philosopher, theologian, and cardinal, Thomas Cajetan (also known as Gaetanus, Tommaso de Vio or Thomas de Vio), and with Saint Catejan, a 15th century saint, priest, and religious reformer. 
 
Cajetan is an Anglicized form of the name, that appears as Gaetano in Italian (ga-eh-TA-no) and as Kajetan (pronounced ka-YEH-tan) in Poland, In fact, the latter has been in the Polish Top 100 since 2000, and ranked at #996 in the England and Wales charts in 2015 as well.
 
Cajetan, pronounced with the J sound, has never appeared in the charts in the UK or the US.

Cajetan

The source of other more familiar names like Celia, Celio, and Celine, Caelius is a handsome Ancient Roman name, meaning "heaven". Pronounced with a hard C, it could give you contemporary nickname, Kai (or Cai). 


Caelius

Long and gentle but with a zippy ending, Columbina is an elaborate diminutive of Columba. Derived from Latin name, it has the appealing meaning of "dove". While this ties it to a symbol of the Holy Spirit in Christianity and makes it saintly choice, Columbina is probably still far too close to Columbine to catch on in the US.
 
Appearing on a character in the 2020 video game, Genshin Impact, Columbina may also be associated with the columbine flower and with Colombina, a stock character used in Italian theatre: usually a servant, who falls in love with the mischievous Arlchinno, or Harlequin. 
 
Nicknames Dove, Birdie, Bee, Lumi, and Connie might work for this rare name which has never appeared in the US stats. Columba and Columbine have also been off the data since 2000 and 1933 respectively.

Columbina

Lilting and handsome, Celino can be used as a short form of Marcelino, or as the Spanish and Italian variant of the Ancient Roman name Caelinus. A rare choice that saw moderate use in Brazil in the 1940s and 50s, it is much less popular than its feminine counterpart, Celina, or its longer form Marcelino. 
 
If considered a variation of Caelinus, the name can mean "heavens" or "heavenly". As a short form of Marcelino, it is connected to Mars, the Roman god of war, giving it the more figurative meaning "little warrior".
 
The pronunciation of the name varies, depending on language and location. In Italian, it would be heard as cheh-LEE-no, while in European Spanish, it's theh-LEE-no. In Latin American, however, seh-LEE-no is most common, and likely how English speakers would say it too.

Celino

Latin names that start with the letter C for boys and girls, including Columbine, Comet, Concha, Concorde, Corvina, Cordy, Corny, Carna, Corsica, Corva, Crescentia, Cruise, Cuba, Cura, Crispina, Cyrille, Cajetan, Caelius, Columbina, and Celino. (Page 7)

Latin Names that Start With C

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