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used in Britain, but is fairly common in North America and Australia.

      Collette see Colette

      Colm, Colum, Columba see Callum

      Colton see Colby

      Con, Conchobar, Conchobhar see Conor

      Conan m.

      From the Irish meaning ‘hound, wolf’. A famous holder of the name was Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes, but the name is probably best known today from the fictional stories and films of Conan the Barbarian. Although the fictional character’s name is pronounced in the American films with the same sound as in ‘cone’, in Ireland the name has a short ‘o’. It shares its short forms with CONOR.

      Conn, Connor, Conny see Conor

      Connie see Constance

      Conor m.

      From the ancient Irish name Conchobar or Conchobhar meaning ‘lover of hounds’. It was the name of one of the great kings in Irish heroic stories, and has long been a popular name in Ireland. Its popularity has spread to the UK, where it is usually spelt Connor. It can be shortened to Con or Conny and sometimes Conn, which is also a separate name, perhaps meaning ‘wisdom’.

      Conn, Connor, Conny see Conor

      Conrad m.

      From the Old German words for ‘bold counsel’. The name is found mostly in Germany where in the 13th century Duke Conrad was a greatly beloved figure. Objection to his public execution by the conquering Charles of Anjou led to a widespread use of this name in German-speaking states. Examples of it have been found in Britain since the 15th century. Curt or Kurt is a short form used as an independent name, now used rather more frequently than the full form.

      Constance f.

      Constance and its Latin form, Constantia, mean ‘constancy’. It became popular in many parts of Christendom after Constantine the Great ordered the toleration of Christianity in the Roman Empire, AD 313. It was introduced into England at the time of the Norman Conquest. The form Constancy was used by the Puritans in the 17th century while Constantia became popular in the 18th century. Constantina is another form of the name. Constance has been out of fashion since the early 20th century, but there has recently been an increase in its use. Its abbreviation is Connie. Constantine, the masculine form, comes from the Latin for ‘firm, constant’. Three Scottish kings were named Constantine after a Cornish saint who was believed to have converted their ancestors to Christianity in the 6th century. It became popular in England from the 12th to the 17th centuries, and was the origin of the surnames Constantine, Considine, Costain and Costin. It is not widely used in Britain today. The composer Constant Lambert (1905–51) shows an English form of the name.

      Cora see Corinna

      Coral f.

      This name reflects the beauty and value of the substance, and was popular earlier this century. A French form which is also in use in Britain is Coralie.

      Corbin m.

      Corbin comes from a surname based on the Old French word for ‘raven’. Its spread owes much to the success of the actor Corbin Bernsen.

      Cordelia f.

      This name first appeared as Cordeilla in the 16th-century chronicles of Holinshed, from which Shakespeare altered the name to Cordelia for his play King Lear. The name is probably a form of Cordula, the name of one of the virgins martyred with St Ursula. It probably comes from the Latin word for ‘heart’.

      Corey f. and m.

      This is an Irish surname of unknown meaning which has come to be used as a first name. It has been popular in the USA for some years. It is also spelt Cory, and in forms such as Cori or Corrie has been used for girls, especially in combination with other names. Spellings beginning with ‘K’ particularly Kori for girls, are also found.

      Corinna f.

      This name and Cora both come from the Greek word kore meaning ‘girl’ or ‘maiden’, a name given to the goddess Persephone who was associated with the coming of spring. The appearance of the name in Ovid’s love poetry probably inspired its use among some 17th-century poets, particularly Herrick. The French form Corinne is also used. Corin, much used in poetry as the name for a love-sick shepherd, is the male form of the name, although it is occasionally also used for girls.

      Cormac m.

      This Irish name is of doubtful meaning, although it is sometimes said to mean ‘a charioteer’. It appears frequently in Irish legend, but through its prevalence in early Irish history and the Irish Church the name was accepted as having a Christian character in Ireland and so remained in steady use. A variant is Cormick.

      Cornelius m., Cornelia f.

      From the Latin cornu meaning ‘a horn’, these were the male and female forms of the name of a famous Roman clan. The male form was used in Ireland as a substitute for the native Conchobar (see CONOR). Its abbreviated forms are Corney, Corny and Cornie.

      Corrie, Cory see Corey

      Cosmo m.

      From the Greek kosmos, meaning ‘order’. It is the name of one of the two patron saints of Milan and was used by the famous Italian family of Medici in the form Cosimo from the 14th century onwards. It was the name of the 3rd Duke of Gordon who was a friend of Cosimo III, Grand Duke of Tuscany, and the name was introduced into several other Scottish families. Cosima is the feminine form, recently chosen by Nigella Lawson.

      Courtney f. and m.

      An aristocratic surname used as a first name. It comes from Courtnay, a French place name, although the name is often interpreted as coming from court nez, the French for ‘short nose’. It is currently more used for girls than for boys.

      Craig m.

      The place and surname meaning ‘crag’, used as a first name.

      Cressida f.

      Cressida comes from a misreading of the name Briseida, ‘daughter of Brisis’, who appears in Homer’s account of the Trojan War. In the 14th century, the Italian writer Boccaccio used the name, and it was adapted by Chaucer in his verse-novel Troilus and Criseyde, the story of Troilus’s undying love for the fair Cressida, set against the background of the Trojan War. Shakespeare changed the name to Cressida for his version of the story. Despite the fictional character’s faithlessness in love, the name has recently become quite popular. An abbreviated form is Cressy.

      Crispin, Crispian m.

      From the Latin crispus, meaning ‘curled’. The 3rd-century martyrs Crispinus and Crispinianus were the patron saints of shoemakers. Crispin was popular in Britain in the Middle Ages and has recently enjoyed a revival.

      Cruz m.& f.

      This name, the Spanish word for ‘cross’, got a lot of publicity when it was chosen by the Beckhams for their third son. Although there were reports in the press that it was a girl’s name, it has always been used for both sexes, and is increasingly popular as a boy’s name in the USA.

      Crystal f.

      While this looks like, and is no doubt mainly used as, another jewel name (see also AMBER, JADE), the spread of this name may have been helped by Christel, the German form of CHRISTINE. Crystal is also spelt Chrystal and the form Krystal has become known through the TV series Dynasty. As a man’s name it is a pet form of CHRISTOPHER.

      Crystin see Christine

      Cudbert, Cuddy see Cuthbert

      Curt see Conrad

      Curtis m.

      A surname from the French meaning ‘courteous’, used as a first name. It has been used more frequently in the United States than in Britain.

      Cuthbert m.

      From the Old English words cuth and beorht, meaning ‘famous’ and ‘bright’. It was in common use both before and after the Norman Conquest, and was the

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