340+ Last Names That Start With C (Surnames With Their Origins)

Ever wondered about surnames beginning with C? You know, those last names that give us a peek into who our great-great-grandparents were and what their lives were like? It’s pretty wild when you think about it – every last name out there has its own unique story to tell.

I always find it fascinating how these names came to be. Like, imagine your great-great-grandfather was a cooper (that’s someone who made barrels), and boom – that became your family name! Or maybe your ancestors lived near a castle in Spain, and that’s why your last name is Castillo. Pretty cool, right?

Here’s something that blew my mind when I first learned it – most people in Europe didn’t even have last names until around the 1000s! Can you imagine just going by “John” or “Mary” and that’s it? Must have been pretty confusing at the local market!

You know what’s really interesting about C surnames? They’re super diverse – you’ve got everything from Campbell (those Scottish folks) to Chen (one of the most common names in China). It’s like a global family tree starting with one letter!

Want to dive into some really interesting C surnames? Trust me, some of these stories are going to surprise you…

Last Names That Start With C

• Campbell – Scottish origin meaning “crooked mouth”
• Clark/Clarke – English origin meaning “clerk” or “scribe”
• Cooper – English occupational name for a barrel maker
• Cruz – Spanish origin meaning “cross”
• Chen – Chinese origin meaning “morning”
• Carter – English origin meaning “cart driver”
• Collins – Irish origin meaning “young dog”
• Cook – English occupational name for, well, a cook!
• Chapman – English origin meaning “merchant”
• Cox – English origin meaning “son of Richard”
• Carpenter – English occupational name for a woodworker
• Castillo – Spanish origin meaning “castle”
• Chung – Korean origin meaning “loyal”
• Crawford – Scottish origin meaning “crow ford”
• Cunningham – Scottish origin meaning “dwelling of the chief”
• Carlson – Scandinavian meaning “son of Carl”
• Chavez – Spanish origin meaning “keys” or “key maker”
• Cole – English origin meaning “charcoal” or “coal black”
• Caldwell – Scottish origin meaning “cold spring”
• Chandler – English occupational name for candle maker
• Curtis – English origin meaning “courteous”
• Cohen – Hebrew origin meaning “priest”
• Cummings – Scottish origin meaning “from the valley”
• Curry – Irish/Scottish origin meaning “champion”
• Chambers – English origin meaning “of the chamber”
• Cannon – English origin meaning “church official”
• Cortez – Spanish origin meaning “courteous”
• Campos – Spanish origin meaning “fields”
• Christensen – Danish meaning “son of Christian”
• Cobb – English origin meaning “lump” or “round mass”
• Cantrell – French origin meaning “song” or “chant”
• Cervantes – Spanish origin meaning “servant”
• Churchill – English origin meaning “church hill”
• Conway – Irish origin meaning “holy river”
• Costello – Irish origin meaning “costello’s son”
• Cecil – Welsh origin meaning “sixth”
• Craig – Scottish origin meaning “rocky cliff”
• Crane – English origin meaning “tall, thin person”
• Cline – German origin meaning “small”
• Cardenas – Spanish origin meaning “thistle field”
• Carver – English origin meaning “wood carver”
• Cahill – Irish origin meaning “warrior”
• Choi – Korean origin meaning “high” or “noble”
• Cloud – English origin meaning “hill”
• Colon – Spanish origin meaning “settler”
• Corbett – French origin meaning “little crow”
• Craft – English origin meaning “skilled worker”
• Crosby – Norse origin meaning “village with crosses”
• Cullen – Irish origin meaning “holly tree”
• Curry – Irish origin meaning “champion”

Remember, if you’re looking for more naming inspiration, check out our other articles about cultural team names and family-themed names. Happy name exploring! 🌟

Last Names Beginning With C

Hey there! Ever wondered about the stories behind different last names? I find it fascinating how our surnames connect us to history. Let’s explore some really interesting last names that start with C – and trust me, some of these have pretty cool origins!

Want to create something unique with your name? Check out our guide to creative usernames!

• Campbell – A Scottish name meaning “crooked mouth” (funny how they came up with that!)
• Carter – These folks were cart drivers back in the day
• Collins – Means “son of Colin” – lots of Irish families have this one
• Cooper – Ever had a barrel made? These were the experts
• Cruz – Spanish for “cross” – pretty straightforward
• Chen – One of the most common Chinese surnames
• Carpenter – Yep, they worked with wood
• Chavez – Spanish name meaning “key maker”
• Clark – Originally meant “clerk” or “scholar”
• Cohen – A Hebrew name for priests
• Crawford – Scottish name meaning “crow crossing”
• Cunningham – Another Scottish gem meaning “rabbit home”
• Cook – Pretty obvious what these ancestors did!
• Curtis – Means “courteous” – nice, right?
• Chapman – Old English for “merchant”
• Caldwell – Means “cold spring” – bet they lived near one
• Cox – Short version of “son of Richard”
• Coleman – From “coal man” – guess what they did?
• Castillo – Spanish for “castle” – fancy!
• Campos – Means “fields” in Spanish

Hey, if you’re into unique names, check out our unique usernames guide!

• Chambers – Worked in the royal chamber
• Castro – Means “fortress” – pretty strong name!
• Carlson – “Carl’s son” – straightforward, eh?
• Cummings – From a place in Scotland
• Chandler – Made candles (before electricity was a thing)
• Cortez – Spanish for “courteous”
• Curry – Not the food! Means “champion” in Irish
• Colon – Spanish surname meaning “settler”
• Craig – Scottish for “rocky cliff”
• Cannon – Originally a church official
• Cecil – Welsh name meaning “blind”
• Contreras – Spanish for “opposing”
• Cobb – Old English for “lump”
• Cardenas – Spanish for “thistle field”
• Crane – Named after the bird
• Camacho – Spanish origin, possibly meaning “camlet”
• Cecil – From the Roman name Caecilius
• Cervantes – Spanish for “servant”
• Choi – Korean surname meaning “pinnacle”
• Cloud – Probably lived on a hill
• Conway – Welsh origin meaning “holy water”
• Corbett – French for “little crow”
• Craft – From the word for skilled worker
• Crosby – Norse for “village with crosses”
• Cullen – Irish for “holly tree”
• Calhoun – Scottish for “from the narrow forest”
• Carrillo – Spanish for “cart driver”
• Christensen – “Son of Christian”
• Coffey – Irish for “victorious”
• Cabrera – Spanish for “goatherd”

Surnames Beginning with C

You know what’s really cool about last names? They’re like tiny time capsules that tell us about our ancestors. Let me share some fascinating C surnames with you – I bet you’ll spot a few you recognize!

Looking for something unique? Check out our guide to creative usernames while you’re here!

• Campbell – Ever met a Campbell? It’s Scottish and means “crooked mouth” of all things!
• Chen – Super common in China, it’s actually older than most European last names
• Carter – Back in the day, these folks drove carts for a living
• Cooper – These were the barrel makers – pretty important job when everything came in barrels
• Collins – Irish families love this one – it means “son of Colin”
• Cruz – Spanish for “cross” – neat and simple
• Chapman – These were the medieval merchants
• Clark – Fun fact: this meant “clerk” before offices were even a thing
• Carpenter – Pretty obvious what they did, right?
• Chavez – Made keys in old Spain – talk about job security!

Hey, if you like family names, you might want to check out our family group names article too!

• Cook – I love how straightforward this one is
• Crawford – Means “crow crossing” – guess there were lots of crows!
• Cunningham – Scottish for “rabbit home” – cute, right?
• Curtis – Means “courteous” – their parents had high hopes
• Caldwell – Lived near a cold spring – no hot water back then!
• Castro – Spanish for “fortress” – pretty impressive
• Carlson – Simply means “Carl’s son” – keeping it in the family
• Chambers – Worked in fancy royal chambers
• Chandler – Before lightbulbs, someone had to make those candles
• Cortez – Another word for “courteous” – must’ve been nice folks

Love unique names? Our unique usernames guide might interest you!

• Curry – Not the spicy food! It’s Irish for “champion”
• Craig – If you lived near a rocky cliff in Scotland, this was your name
• Cobb – Means “lump” – not the most flattering, but hey!
• Cloud – Probably lived on a hill somewhere
• Conway – Welsh for “holy water” – pretty spiritual
• Cervantes – Like the author of Don Quixote
• Choi – Korean name meaning “pinnacle” – aim high!
• Cohen – Hebrew name for priests
• Campos – Spanish for “fields” – must’ve been farmers
• Christensen – “Christian’s son” – keeping track of the family tree
• Calhoun – From the narrow forest in Scotland
• Carrillo – Spanish cart drivers
• Cabrera – Looked after goats in Spain
• Crane – Named after the bird – maybe they were tall?
• Cecil – From an old Roman name
• Cardenas – Lived near thistle fields
• Contreras – Means “opposing” – maybe they were rebels!
• Coffey – Irish for “victorious” – winners!
• Camacho – Old Spanish name
• Corbett – Means “little crow” – kind of adorable
• Craft – They were skilled workers
• Crosby – Had lots of crosses in their village
• Cullen – Named after holly trees in Ireland
• Cannon – Used to be church officials
• Coleman – Dealt with coal back in the day
• Castillo – Spanish for “castle” – fancy!
• Cox – Short for “son of Richard”
• Colon – Were settlers in new places
• Cecil – Welsh name meaning “sixth”
• Cline – German name meaning “small”

Popular Last Names Starting with C

Let’s look at some of the heavy hitters in the C surname world. You probably know a few Clarks or Coopers!

Top Most Common C Surnames Globally

• Chen (陈/陳) – Most common in China
• Cohen – Jewish origin
• Campbell – Scottish origin
• Clark/Clarke – English origin
• Chen – Vietnamese variation
• Cruz – Spanish origin
• Carter – English origin
• Cooper – English origin
• Collins – Irish origin
• Chung – Korean origin

Fun fact: The surname Chen is so common in China that it’s shared by over 100 million people worldwide!

For more inspiration about names, check out our guide to creative usernames.

Regional Variations

Region	Popular C Surnames
UK	Clarke, Cooper, Chapman
Spain	Cruz, Castillo, Campos
France	Clement, Caron, Chevallier
Germany	Conrad, Cramer, Cumming
China	Chen, Cao, Cai

Origins and Meanings of C Surnames

Ready to discover where these names came from? You might be surprised to learn about your own family name’s origin!

English and Celtic Origins

• Campbell – From the Gaelic “cam beul” meaning “crooked mouth”
• Clark/Clarke – From “clerk” or “cleric”
• Cooper – Barrel maker
• Chapman – Merchant or trader
• Carpenter – Woodworker
• Crawford – From the place name meaning “crow ford”
• Cole – From “Cola,” a nickname for Nicholas
• Curtis – From the French “courteis” meaning courteous
• Cummings – From a place name in Scotland
• Conway – From Welsh place names

Want to explore more Celtic naming traditions? Check out our article on irish team names.

Spanish and Latin American Surnames

You know what’s really cool about Spanish surnames? Many of them tell stories about the landscape or religious connections. Here are some popular ones:

• Cruz – It literally means “cross”
• Castillo – Got its name from “castle”
• Campos – Means “fields”
• Cardenas – From a place in Spain
• Calderon – Means “large cauldron”
• Cervantes – Like the famous author!
• Contreras – From a town in Spain
• Cordova/Cordoba – Named after the city
• Cabrera – Means “goatherd”
• Carrillo – Means “cart driver”

Speaking of Spanish names, you might want to check out our guide to spanish usernames.

German and Central European Surnames

German surnames are super interesting because they often tell you what your ancestors did for a living. Pretty neat, right?

• Conrad – Means “brave counsel”
• Cramer/Kramer – Shopkeeper
• Cohn/Cohen – Religious title
• Christiansen – “Son of Christian”
• Claus – Short for Nicholas
• Cartwright – Cart maker
• Czechowski – “From Czech”
• Czarnecki – “Son of little black one”
• Crause/Krause – Curly-haired person
• Christensen – “Son of Christian”

French Surnames

French surnames have this elegant ring to them, don’t they? Here are some that have stood the test of time:

• Clement – Means “merciful”
• Caron – From the word “charron” (cart maker)
• Chevalier – Means “knight”
• Cormier – From the sorb apple tree
• Charpentier – Carpenter
• Cartier – Cart driver
• Cloutier – Nail maker
• Dubois – From the woods
• Champagne – From the region
• Cote – From “coast” or “hillside”

Asian Surnames

Asian surnames are fascinating because they often have such deep historical roots. Some go back thousands of years!

• Chen/Chan (陈) – Ancient state name
• Chung/Jung (정) – Korean surname meaning “loyal”
• Cho/Jo (조) – Korean name
• Cai/Tsai (蔡) – Chinese surname
• Cao/Tso (曹) – Chinese surname
• Choi (최) – Korean name
• Chang/Zhang (张) – Chinese surname
• Chin (陳) – Variant of Chen
• Ching (經) – Chinese surname
• Chow/Zhou (周) – Chinese dynasty name

For more Asian-inspired naming ideas, take a look at our japanese usernames guide.

Occupational C Surnames

Isn’t it fascinating how many surnames came from what our ancestors did for work? Let’s break these down into categories:

Craftsmen and Artisans

• Cooper – Made barrels
• Carpenter – Worked with wood
• Chandler – Made candles
• Carver – Wood carver
• Cook – Well, you can guess this one!
• Carter – Cart driver
• Cutler – Made cutlery
• Cartwright – Cart maker
• Cobbler – Made shoes
• Collier – Coal miner

Agricultural and Rural Professions

You know, a lot of our ancestors worked the land, and their jobs became their family names. Pretty cool, right? Here are some that stuck around:

• Cowherd – Someone who looked after cows
• Crofter – Had a small farm
• Cattleman – Raised cattle
• Corn – Grew or sold grain
• Cotton – Worked with cotton
• Cowman – Another cattle herder
• Cropper – Harvested crops
• Cotter – Cottage dweller who worked the land
• Cartwright – Made and fixed farm carts
• Coltman – Raised young horses

Speaking of groups working together, check out our article about farming team names.

Military and Noble Titles

Some C surnames come from pretty fancy backgrounds – we’re talking knights and nobles here!

• Champion – Medieval fighter
• Chamberlain – Managed a noble household
• Chancellor – High-ranking official
• Count – Noble title
• Castellan – Castle keeper
• Chevalier – Knight
• Commander – Military leader
• Constable – Medieval law enforcer
• Centaur – Cavalry officer
• Challenger – Tournament fighter

Geographical C Surnames

Place Names and Locations

Ever wondered why so many people are named after places? Here’s the scoop on some location-based C surnames:

• Cambridge – From the famous English city
• Cornwall – From the English county
• Chester – From cities ending in -chester
• Cleveland – From the English region
• Clifford – “Ford by the cliff”
• Conway – From the Welsh town
• Cardiff – From Wales’ capital
• Canterbury – From the English city
• Chelsea – From the London area
• Carlisle – From the northern English city

Topographical Features

Some surnames came from landscape features near where people lived. Take a look:

• Cliff – Lived near a cliff
• Creek – Lived by a stream
• Cave – Lived near a cave
• Cove – Lived by a small bay
• Cedar – Lived near cedar trees
• Church – Lived near the church
• Castle – Lived near a castle
• Crest – Lived on a hilltop
• Cross – Lived near a crossroads
• Cragg – Lived near rocky cliffs

Love nature names? You might enjoy our guide to beach usernames.

Patronymic and Matronymic C Surnames

Here’s something neat – lots of surnames basically mean “son of” or “daughter of” someone. For example:

• Carlson – Son of Carl
• Clarkson – Son of Clark
• Christianson – Son of Christian
• Caldwell – Son of Caedda
• Clemens – Son of Clement
• Cuthbertson – Son of Cuthbert
• Cobbson – Son of Jacob
• Conorson – Son of Connor
• Caterson – Son of Cater
• Chadwick – Son of Chad

Want more family-themed naming ideas? Check out our article on family group names.

Unique and Rare C Surnames

Uncommon Surnames and Their Origins

Ever heard any of these before? They’re pretty special:

• Cloudman – Named after someone who lived high in the mountains
• Crystalman – Probably worked with crystals or glass
• Cakebread – Made bread for a living (yum!)
• Crackanthorpe – Lived near a crooked valley
• Crucifix – Lived near or made religious crosses
• Crumbhair – Had particularly curly hair
• Catchlove – Old nickname for a ladies’ man
• Candlestick – Made or sold candles
• Copperwheat – Worked with copper or had reddish hair
• Crookshanks – Had crooked legs (bet they weren’t a fan of that name!)

You might also enjoy checking out some unique usernames if you’re into rare names.

Famous People with C Surnames

Historical Figures

Let me tell you about some pretty amazing people who rocked C surnames:

• Churchill, Winston – You know, the British Prime Minister who helped win WWII
• Columbus, Christopher – The guy who sailed the ocean blue in 1492
• Curie, Marie – Super smart scientist who discovered radium
• Caesar, Julius – The Roman emperor (talk about making your mark on history!)
• Confucius – Chinese philosopher who’s still quoted today

Contemporary Celebrities

And here are some folks you might’ve seen on TV or heard on the radio:

• Clooney, George – The silver fox of Hollywood
• Cooper, Bradley – That guy from “The Hangover” (and lots of serious movies too)
• Cruise, Tom – Mission Impossible would be impossible without him
• Carey, Mariah – The queen of Christmas music
• Cumberbatch, Benedict – Everyone’s favorite Sherlock

Speaking of famous names, check out our article on celebrity team names.

Evolution of C Surnames

You wouldn’t believe how much these names have changed over time! Here’s what’s happened:

Historical Changes

• Clark used to be “Clerke”
• Cooper was once “Cowper”
• Campbell started as “Caimbeul”
• Curtis began as “Curteys”
• Crawford was originally “Crauford”

Modern Variations

These days, people get creative with spellings. Like:

• Clarke/Clark
• Cooper/Cuper
• Carlson/Karlson
• Cohen/Cowen
• Cruz/Cruise

Researching Your C Surname

Want to dig into your own family history? Here’s what you can do:

Genealogical Resources

• Ancestry.com (super helpful!)
• FamilySearch.org (and it’s free!)
• Local library records
• Church records
• Immigration documents

Love researching? You might enjoy our guide on research group names.

DNA Testing

It’s pretty amazing – a little swab can tell you:

• Where your ancestors came from
• Other people who share your surname
• Possible relatives you never knew about

Cultural Significance

Here’s something cool – surnames mean different things in different cultures:

• In Spain, people keep both parents’ surnames
• In China, the surname comes first
• In Iceland, surnames change with each generation
• Some cultures don’t even use surnames!

Want to learn more about cultural names? Check out our article on cultural team club names.

Final Thoughts

Isn’t it amazing how much history and meaning is packed into these C surnames? Whether your name is Campbell, Chen, or something super rare like Catchlove, it’s part of your unique story. These names connect us to our past and help us understand where we came from.

Remember, your surname is more than just a name – it’s a piece of history you carry with you every day. Pretty cool when you think about it, right?