Most Popular Irish Names Beginning with C

If you have an interest in Irish names or are searching for Irish names beginning with C, then you’ll love our pick of the top Irish female and male names beginning with C. You might also like this shortlist if you are searching for Irish names that start with C if you are expecting a baby and looking to narrow down your search.

A guide to the best Irish names beginning with C

Top Irish girls names beginning with C

Whether you are looking for traditional Irish girls names beginning with C or not, here are some of the top Irish female names starting with C.

Ciara

This is the female version of the Irish boys name Ciaran. It comes from the Irish word ciar which means “dark” and implies dark hair and eyes, so its full meaning is “little dark one”. St Ciara was a 7^th-century figure who established a monastery in Kilkeary in County Tipperary. It is pronounced Ke-ra and is a very popular Irish girls name.

Caoimhe

One of the top pretty Irish names for girls beginning with C, and my personal favourite, is Caoimhe. This name in particular causes confusion over how you pronounce it. Coming from the Irish word “caomh” meaning dear or noble, Caoimhe is pronounced Kee-va. It can also mean “gentle, beautiful or precious”. It is one of the more common Irish girl names in Ireland but rarely heard outside of the Emerald Isle.

Cara

Cara means “friend” in Irish and is pronounced as it is written, Car-a. It can also be found written as Kara and Caragh. It became a first name in the 19^th century with its popularity rising after the 1950s. It can also mean “beloved” when coming from the Latin word cara.

If you are looking for other Irish names starting with C for girls or unusual Irish girls names, then you should read my post about Irish girls name starting with C.

A picture of a rocky path on a hill in Ireland with stormy skies overhead and a textbox containing the Irish name Cara

Top Irish boys names beginning with C

If you are looking for some Irish names that start with C for boys, then you’ll enjoy our top picks for Irish boys names beginning with C.

Conor

One of the most popular Irish names for boys is Conor, also one of the top Irish names for boys beginning with C. Coming from Conchobhar, Conchobhar MacNessa was one of the most famous kings of Ulster. It is pronounced Con-r, and has another form often used, Connor. Conchobhar was the uncle of Cuchulainn, and the name means “lover of hounds”.

Cillian

One of the top Irish names for boys is Cillian. Coming from the Irish word cille meaning “associated with the church”, this Irish boys name has a long history. St Cillian left Ireland in the mid-7^th century to carry out missionary work in Germany where he became the Bishop of Wurzburg after converting the local duke to Christianity. He was later killed by the duke when he invalidated the duke’s marriage to his brother’s widow. Pronounced Kill-ee-un or Kill-ee-an, it has other forms such as Killian, Keelan and Cillín. It means “of the church” and also “war strife”. In recent years this has been in the top 10 Irish names for boys.

Ciarán

Coming from the Irish word ciar meaning “dark”, the Irish boys name Ciarán means “dark little one”. Pronounced Keer-awn, it has another form of Kieran, pronounced the same way or like Keer-in. This is one of the classic Irish boy names thanks to the fact that at least 26 saints have had the same name. The most notable was St Ciaran of Clonmacnoise in County Offaly who lived during the 6^th century. The son of a carpenter he is credited with establishing Clonmacnoise, one of the greatest spiritual and learning centres that thrived until the 16^th century.

If you are looking for other Irish names starting with C for boys or unusual Irish boys names, then you should read my post about Irish names for a boys starting with C.

A picture of sunset over the Giant's Causeway and textbox containing the Irish name Ciaran

I hope you enjoyed our top picks of Irish names beginning with C. These are the names beginning with C that top the list of names beginning with C given to Irish babies in recent years. The female names are more often heard than some of the male ones. Do you know anyone called Ciara or Cillian?