Document and Entity Information	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2014	Jul. 31, 2014
Document and Entity Information
Entity Registrant Name	CITY NATIONAL CORP
Entity Central Index Key	0000201461
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Jun. 30, 2014
Amendment Flag	false
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		55,014,359
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2014
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2