Choosing the perfect name for the newest addition to your family can be tough. You don’t want to pick something you’ll wind up hating a few months or years down the road. Choosing the perfect name is even harder if you have your heart set on something very particular, like a name that starts with a specific letter.
If a C dog name is what you’re searching for, we can help. We’ve compiled over 215 names starting with C, to help you narrow your prospects. Read on to find our comprehensive list, and keep a pen and paper handy to make a shortlist of your favorites.
Table of Contents
How to Name Your New Pup
There are several things you should and shouldn’t do when naming your dog.
Do: Consider a name that ends in a vowel.
Names ending in vowels are sometimes easier for dogs to understand as they force you to change your voice’s tone.
Don’t: Choose a name that sounds like a command.
You’ll need to train your pup from the get-go to ensure he grows to be a well-behaved dog. Choosing a name that sounds like a command can be disastrous. While Cho is a cute C name, it sounds like “no,” which can confuse your training sessions.
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Do: Choose less complicated names.
As much as you want a unique and different name for your pup, avoid choosing anything overly complicated. It won’t be easy for your dog to learn if it’s hard for you to say.
Don’t: Jump into it.
You don’t need to pick a name for your dog the day they come home with you. Give yourself time to get to know your new pup before deciding their name.
‘C’ Dog Names Inspired by Human Names
We love it when animals have human names, not only because we find it hilarious to tell people your dog’s name is Peter or Lisa but because human names have meanings that can be incredibly significant. Maybe you want to name your new pup after someone who has impacted your life in a beautiful way, or maybe you want your pup’s name to mean something powerful.
Either way, let’s look at some of the best human-inspired names and their meanings.
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Female Names
Cadence – flow
Caddie – a free woman
Cadey – a pure-hearted woman
Caia – to rejoice
Caeli – crowned with the laurel crown
Calypso – hidden
Cambria – country
Camilia – perfect
Candace – Queen mother
Cara – darling
Caroline – strong
Casey – vigilant
Catalina – pure; proud
Celeste – heavenly
Channing – young wolf; wise
Charity – love
Chaya – life
Cherie – darling
Chloe – young; blooming
Clara – bright
Clare – enlightened
Claudia – lame
Cleo – fame of her father
Clover – meadow flower
Codie – helpful person
Constance – constancy
Cora – daughter; honest
Cordelia – heart
Courtney – short nose
Crystal – fine class
Male Names
Cain – possession
Caleb – dog; whole
Callum – dove
Calvin – bald
Camden – unknown
Cameron – crooked nose
Carey – dweller in a castle
Carl – strong; noble
Carlos – strong; noble
Carter – one who uses a cart
Carver – great rock
Carwyn – blessed love
Caspar – keeper of the treasure
Cedric – kindly; loved
Chandler – seller of candles
Charles – man
Chase – hunter
Chester – fortified camp
Christian – a Christian
Christopher – bearing Christ
Cillian – little church
Clark – clerk
Claud – lame
Clifford – ford by the cliff
Clinton – settlement on a cliff
Clive – one who lives by the cliff
Conrad – bold counselor
Creed – belief; guiding principle
Cullen – beyond the river
Cyrus – the sun
Nature-Inspired Dog Names That Start With ‘C’
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If you enjoy the great outdoors, a nature-inspired C-name might be perfect for your new pup. Here are some of the best names that start with ‘C’ inspired by forests, bodies of water, flowers, and trees.
Caldera – cauldron-like hollow that forms after a volcanic eruption
Calla – a type of lily
Cactus – a member of the Cactaceae plant family
Camellia – a type of flowering plant
Candytuft – a woody subshrub
Canyon – a ravine
Carnation – a type of flowering plant
Cassia – an evergreen tree
Cedar – a coniferous tree
Celebes – a deep-water sea in the western Pacific Ocean
Celosia – an ornamental plant
Chambal – a river in India
Chamise – a flowering plant in California
Cherry Blossom – a flowering tree
Citron – an evergreen shrub
Clarkia – a flowering plant
Clay – a fine-grained natural soil
Cliff – a mass of rock with a nearly vertical angle
Clover – a flowering plant
Cloud – a visible mass of condensed water in the atmosphere
Clove – aromatic flower buds
Coal – a sedimentary deposit composed of carbon
Coneflower – a native American wildflower
Coral – marine invertebrates
Coralbell (after Coral Bells) – a herbaceous perennial
Copper – a reddish metal
Cosmo – a flowering plant
Crane – a large bird
Creek – a stream or brook
Cypress – a type of tree
Food & Drink-Inspired Dog Names That Start With ‘C’
If you consider yourself a food or beverage connoisseur, a name inspired by your favorite drink or dish might be perfect for your new pup.
Cabaret
Cacao
Caesar
Calvados
Calzone
Candy
Candy Corn
Campari
Cappuccino
Carrot
Caramel
Cashew
Casserole
Caviar
Ceviche
Chai
Chamomile
Champagne
Chardonnay
Cheddar
Cheerio
Cheeseball
Cheeto
Cherry
Chestnut
Chocolate
Chorizo
Cider
Cinnamon
Cobbler
Coca
Coffee
Cognac
Cointreau
Cookie
Coors
Corona
Cosmopolitan
Cranberry
Cream Puff
Crepe
Croissant
Crumbs
Cumin
Curry
Custard
Pop Culture-Inspired Dog Names That Start With ‘C’
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Dog owners who pride themselves on how well they keep up-to-date with pop culture might love a celebrity, author, or movie-inspired name for their new pup.
Cardi – after rapper Cardi B
Cartman – after the South Park character
Celine – after singer Celine Dion
Chadwick – after later actor Chadwick Boseman
Chance – after the dog in Homeward Bound
Chanel – after the fashion brand
Charizard – after the Pokémon character
Charli – after social media star Charli D’Amelio
Charlize – after actress Charlize Theron
Cher – after the singer
Chester – after late singer Chester Bennington
Chewy – after Chewbacca from Star Wars
Chuck – after actor Chuck Norris
Chuckie – after the Rugrats character
Cillian – after actor Cillian Murphy
Cinderella – after the Disney character
Clarice – after the character in Silence of the Lambs
Clark – after Clark Kent (Superman)
Clifford – after the book character
Coco- after fashion designer Coco Chanel
Cogsworth – after the Beauty and the Beast character
Coraline – after the Coraline character
Courage – after the Courage the Cowardly Dog character
Creeper – after the Jeepers Creepers villain
Cristino – after the athlete Cristiano Ronaldo
Cruella – after Disney villain Cruella de Vil
Cullen – the last name of the vampires in the Twilight book series
Cyborg – after the Teen Titans character
Cyndi – after singer Cyndi Lauper
Geography-Inspired Dog Names That Start With ‘C’
Whether you’re a world traveler or dream of becoming one, a geography-inspired name for your new pup will tell the world how well-traveled you are (or will be). The names below are inspired by places around the world.
Cairns – a city in Australia
Cairo – the capital of Egypt
Calcutta – the capital of India
Cali – short for “California”
Camden – a culture-rich suburb of London
Cannes – a resort town in France
Cancun – a popular vacation spot in Mexico
Capri – an island in the Tyrrhenian Sea
Casablanca – the largest city in Morocco
Caspian – after the Caspian Sea
Catalonia – a region of Spain
Cebu – a province of the Philippines
Chania – a city in Greece
Charlotte – a city in North Carolina
Charleston – a historic city in South Carolina
Chennai – the capital of Tamil Nadu, a state in India
Chile – a South American country
Chios – the fifth-largest Greek island
Cleveland – the second-most populous city in Ohio
Colombo – the most populous city of Sri Lanka
Comoros – an independent country in Southeastern Africa
Congo – a country in Central Africa
Connemara – a region in Ireland
Corfu – a Greek island
Cozumel – an island in Mexico
Cuenca – the capital of the Azuay province in Ecuador
Cusco – a city in southeastern Peru
Cyprus – an island country in the Mediterranean Sea
Classic’ C’ Dog Names
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Maybe you don’t want to reinvent the wheel with your new pup’s name. These tried-and-true dog names may not be the most clever or unique, but they’re classics and have stood the test of time.
Cain
Candy
Captain
Cargo
Carter
Cash
Champ
Chance
Charlie
Chase
Chaser
Chico
Chief
Chip
Chips
Chomper
Chubs
Cleo
Colby
Cole
Coop
Cooper
Cricket
Crocket
Cujo
Final Thoughts
While choosing the perfect name can be challenging, especially if you’re narrowing down your prospects to those that start with C only, we’re certain you’ll find the perfect name for your new pup from our list above. Remember, you don’t need to pick a name for them immediately. Give yourself some time to get to know your new family member before choosing what you will call them for the rest of their life.
Featured Image Credit: Lena_Sokolova, Shutterstock
