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The key of C Major has no sharps and no flats. It's the white keys on the piano. It's the key most music theory classes begin with. It is the most cited example, yada, yada, yada. So why is it not named A? Why do the note names start with an A that is not C?

The notes got their letter names back in the time when church modes were in common use. A-A gives the Aeolian mode. The major mode was not in common use at that time.

That also lines Dorian up with D.

        Here are two attempts to answer that question (with varying success)

https://music.stackexchange.com/questio ... ve/317#317" target="_blank" target="_blank

http://forum.emusictheory.com/read.php?5,1686,1689" target="_blank" target="_blank