The standard circa abbreviation is c., and the second most common form is ca. Both stand for circa, a Latin word meaning "around" or "about," and both go right before a date that is not known exactly: "c. 1850" means around 1850.
You will find it on museum labels, in history books, on old photographs, in family trees and in antique listings. It tells the reader that the date is a careful estimate, not a guess pulled from the air and not a confirmed fact either.
Quick facts
Abbreviations
c. (most common), ca., circ.Full word
Circa, Latin for aroundPeriod
Yes, always: c. and ca.Used with
Dates and years, sometimes ages or numbersPlacement
Directly before the dateSay it
Read aloud as circa or aroundNot to be confused with
approx., which is used for measurements
Circa abbreviation forms compared
| Form | Where you see it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| c. | Most books, museum labels, general writing | c. 1720 |
| ca. | Art catalogs, archives, some academic fields | ca. 1720 |
| circ. | Older texts, rare today | circ. 1720 |
| circa (spelled out) | Running text, headlines, invitations | circa 1720 |
Pick one form and stick with it across a whole document. Some publishers prefer ca. because a lone c. can be mistaken for other things, such as "century" or the copyright sign. If your teacher, editor or style guide names one, follow it.
How to write c. and ca. before a date
- Use a period. Both forms take one: c. and ca.
- Leave a space between the abbreviation and the number: c. 1600, not c.1600.
- Use lowercase. A capital C appears only when the abbreviation opens a sentence or caption: "C. 1600, the town had two churches."
- Do not italicize it in most modern writing. It is common enough to be treated as an English word.
- Repeat it for each date in a range if both ends are uncertain: c. 1820 to c. 1835.
Museum label: "Quilt, cotton and wool, c. 1880, Pennsylvania." The museum believes the quilt was made around 1880 but has no exact record.
What circa really tells a reader
Circa signals a reasoned estimate. A historian might date a letter c. 1790 from the paper, the handwriting and the events it mentions. A photo collector might date a picture c. 1910 from the clothing and the camera style. There is no fixed margin, but it usually suggests a few years either way.
With eras that use BC, the abbreviation works the same way: "c. 500 BC" means around 500 years before the common era. See BC and AD for how those labels work.
In everyday speech you will hear "circa" used playfully, as in "my hair, circa middle school," under an old photo. That is informal but understood: it still means "from around that time."
Circa vs approx. and other look alikes
- Circa (c., ca.) goes with dates and times in history.
- Approx. goes with measurements, counts and amounts: approx. 40 miles, approx. 3 hours.
- fl. (flourished) marks when a person was active, used when birth and death dates are unknown.
- cent. or c. can also mean century, as in "18th c." Context, and the number that follows, tells you which.
Do not stack words that mean the same thing. "Around c. 1900" and "approximately circa 1900" say it twice. Use one or the other. For other Latin shortcuts like this, see etc. and i.e.
Circa in sentences
- "The farmhouse was built c. 1840 and expanded later."
- "Portrait of a young woman, oil on canvas, ca. 1650."
- "Our great grandfather arrived in New York circa 1905."
- "The bridge dates to c. 1300, according to the town records."
- "Pottery fragments, c. 200 BC to c. 100 BC."
Family tree note: "Mary Hollis, born c. 1798, died 1861." Her birth year is estimated from a later census, while the death year comes from a dated record.
Quick tips for using the circa abbreviation
In ordinary prose for everyday readers, write the full word circa, and save c. or ca. in captions, tables and lists where space is tight for the short forms. Never put circa after the date. Keep it for real uncertainty: if you know the exact year, just give the year.
For more word shortcuts and how they are formed, see how to abbreviate and the full common abbreviations collection of word shortcuts.
Questions people ask
Which abbreviation is used for circa?
The most common circa abbreviation is c., followed by ca. Both are written with a period and placed right before the date.
Is circa abbreviated c. or ca.?
Both are correct. General writing tends to use c., while art, archives and some academic fields prefer ca. Use one form consistently.
Do you italicize circa?
Not usually. Modern style treats circa and its short forms as regular English, so they appear in plain type.
How do you pronounce circa?
Most Americans say SUR-kuh. When reading c. or ca. aloud, say circa or simply around.
Can you use circa for numbers that are not dates?
It is mainly for dates. For distances, weights or counts, approx. or about is the better choice.