CaliadnefGreek Mythology Means "beautiful and holy". From the Greek kalos (καλή) 'beautiful' and adnos (αδνος) 'holy'. In Greek mythology she is a naiad of the river Nile in Egypt, a daughter of the god of the Nile, Neilus... [more]
CalidoremLiterature Perhaps derived from Greek kallos "beauty" and doron "gift". It was used by Edmund Spenser in his poem 'The Faerie Queene' (1596), where Sir Calidore, the Knight of Courtesy, is the hero of Book VI who tames the Blatant Beast as requested by Queen Gloriana.
CaligorantemCarolingian Cycle, Literature Meaning unknown, but several theories have been proposed for its etymology. One such theory is that it is derived from Latin caligante meaning "fading, growing dim". In turn, the word is ultimately derived from the Latin verb caligo meaning "to steam, to darken"... [more]
CalinefFrench (Modern, Rare, ?) A feminine variation of the Greek name Νικολαος (Nikolaos). It also resembles the french word "câlin(e)" (affectionate).
CalinettefAfro-American (Slavery-era) Possibly derived from French câline, the feminine form of the adjective câlin "cuddly" (ultimately via Old French from Vulgar Latin *calina, which itself is from Latin calidus "warm").
CallidicefGreek Mythology (Latinized) Latinized form of Καλλιδίκη (Kallidike), which is derived from Greek καλλος (kallos) "beauty" combined with Greek δικη (dike) meaning "justice, judgement" as well as "custom, usage"... [more]
CalybutemEnglish (Puritan) In the case of Calybute Downing, D.D. (1606-1643), whose father was also named Calybute Downing, it appears to be a slight variation of his paternal grandmother's maiden name, Calybut. There was a similar name recorded in Domesday Book: Calebot.
CalycefGreek Mythology In Greek mythology, Calyce or Calycia is the name of several characters:... [more]
Cambridgem & fEnglish (Rare) Transferred use of the place name (used by a number of locations in the English-speaking world), derived from its old name Grantebrycge (referring to the original place in the east of England) meaning "bridge by the river Granta," where the name of the river (of unknown origin) was changed to Cante and then Cam (by Middle English) to match the current name of the town.... [more]
CandylènefFrench The name was the subject of a 1971 eponymous French pop song by Yves Heuzé. Since then, the name has experienced sporadic usage in France.
Canequef & mNew World Mythology A Mayan name meaning roughly, 'mischievous forest spirit.' Appears in local mythology.
CangjiemChinese, Chinese Mythology, Far Eastern Mythology In Chinese mythology, Cangjie was a retainer of the Yellow Emperor (Xuanyuan) who invented written Chinese characters. According to legend, his invention caused ghosts to cry in the night and the sky to rain millet... [more]
CangrandemMedieval Italian, Literature Derived from the Italian noun can meaning "khan" as well as "dog" combined with the Italian adjective grande meaning "big, great".... [more]
CarabossefLiterature Derived from Latin cara, meaning "face", and Old French bosse meaning "inflammation". This describes a bubo gotten through pox. This name was first used on the wicked fairy godmother in Madame d'Aulnoy's fairy tale The Princess Mayblossom (1697), though nowadays it is more famous as the name given to the wicked fairy godmother in Tchaikovsky's ballet The Sleeping Beauty (1890).
CaressefEnglish (Rare) From the French word caresse meaning "caress", ultimately from Latin carus "dear, beloved". This name was borne by Caresse Crosby (1892-1970), original name Mary 'Polly' Phelps Jacob, an American socialite and the inventor of the modern bra... [more]
CaroleefEnglish (American) Combination of Carol 1 and the popular phonetic suffix lee. A known bearer was the American performance artist Carolee Schneemann (1939-2019).
CassettefEnglish (Rare) Possibly a diminutive of Cass. It also coincides with the word cassette, which refers to a kind of tape formerly used to record audio.
Catti-briefPopular Culture, Literature Catti-brie (spelled Cattie-brie in later publications) is the name of a character in the 'Forgotten Realms', a series of fantasy novels by American author R. A. Salvatore which serves as a setting for the role-playing game 'Dungeons & Dragons'... [more]
CavalcantemMedieval Italian, Literature Derived from the Italian noun cavalcante meaning "postilion", which in turn is derived from the Italian verb cavalcare meaning "to ride a horse".... [more]
Cayennef & mEnglish (Modern, Rare) From Old Tupi quiínia meaning "hot pepper," referring to any of several very hot chilli peppers or a powder condiment or spice formed from these varieties.
CaykefLiterature From the name of a character that is featured in L. Frank Baum's book The Lost Princess of Oz (1917). Her name is a misspelling of the English word "cake".