Calista

Gender: Girl
Say it: ka-LIS-ta
Origin: Greek
UK rank, 2025: #1,961 for girls
US rank, 2025: #1,592 for girls

Calista is a girls' name of Greek origin, meaning “most beautiful”. In 2025 it ranked 1,961st for girls in the UK (15 babies) and 1,592nd for girls in the US (131 babies).

What does Calista mean?

Greek: from Greek kalliste

“most beautiful”

Kallisto, a nymph of Greek myth, was turned into a bear and placed among the stars as Ursa Major.

Is Calista a girl's or a boy's name?

Calista is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 15 girls in the UK and 131 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.

How popular is Calista in the UK?

Rank in 2025: 1,961st among girls
Babies in 2025: 15 about 1 in 19,000 girls
Five-year trend: Rising up 83% in five years
Same name in a class: under 1% chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 15 girls in the UK were named Calista, making it the 1,961st most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 3,009th. Its busiest year was 2001, with 26 girls.

Half of all the girls named Calista in the UK since 1996 were born between 2003 and 2017, the years shaded on the chart below.

In 2025, 25 girls in the UK were given Calista or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #1,169, up from #1,961 for this spelling alone.

Calista 15
Callista 10

Among girls in 2025, it was 1,892nd in England and Wales.

1998Busiest: 26 in 20012025

Calista in the UK, year by year

Year	Girls	Rank
2025	15	#1,961
2024	13	#2,175
2023	14	#2,070
2022	15	#1,957
2021	12	#2,325
2020	8	#3,009
2019	7	#3,340
2018	8	#3,068
2017	13	#2,210
2016	20	#1,653
2015	9	#2,855
2014	11	#2,462
2013	5	#4,267
2012	16	#1,914
2011	11	#2,393
2010	15	#1,912
2009	13	#2,037
2008	16	#1,745
2007	23	#1,286
2006	12	#1,987
2005	9	#2,360
2004	13	#1,722
2003	13	#1,649
2002	14	#1,475
2001	26	#929
2000	14	#1,415
1999	22	#1,035
1998	5	#2,855

How popular is Calista in the US?

Rank in 2025: 1,592nd among girls
Babies in 2025: 131 about 1 in 12,000 girls
Five-year trend: Steady up 2% in five years
Same name in a class: under 1% chance among 15 girls

In 2025, 131 girls in the US were named Calista, making it the 1,592nd most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,924th. Its busiest year was 1999, with 490 girls. It first appears in the records in 1894.

Half of all the girls named Calista in the US since 1880 were born between 1999 and 2013, the years shaded on the chart below.

In 2025, 229 girls in the US were given Calista or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #975, up from #1,592 for this spelling alone.

Calista 131
Callista 42
Kalista 35
Kallista 21

1894Busiest: 490 in 19992025

Calista in the US, year by year

Year	Girls	Rank
2025	131	#1,592
2024	151	#1,452
2023	120	#1,709
2022	114	#1,793
2021	139	#1,516
2020	99	#1,924
2019	164	#1,373
2018	130	#1,633
2017	149	#1,489
2016	183	#1,307
2015	172	#1,372
2014	155	#1,454
2013	170	#1,371
2012	196	#1,237
2011	210	#1,164
2010	235	#1,054
2009	191	#1,272
2008	207	#1,222
2007	264	#1,001
2006	231	#1,093
2005	223	#1,067
2004	282	#870
2003	271	#889
2002	305	#775
2001	358	#697
2000	401	#627
1999	490	#519
1998	323	#697
1997	43	#2,817
1996	26	#4,054
1995	23	#4,343
1994	25	#4,110
1993	25	#4,095
1992	28	#3,767
1991	34	#3,201
1990	39	#2,895
1989	33	#3,159
1988	31	#3,160
1987	27	#3,328
1986	33	#2,844
1985	30	#3,007
1984	32	#2,780
1983	31	#2,782
1982	30	#2,958
1981	29	#2,986
1980	34	#2,699
1979	30	#2,860
1978	28	#2,859
1977	31	#2,666
1976	23	#3,094
1975	18	#3,636
1974	21	#3,212
1973	26	#2,689
1972	17	#3,543
1971	12	#4,532
1970	14	#4,037
1969	14	#3,773
1968	9	#4,778
1967	13	#3,655
1966	8	#4,865
1965	15	#3,263
1964	15	#3,378
1963	8	#4,895
1962	8	#4,864
1961	12	#3,792
1960	9	#4,436
1959	6	#5,565
1958	8	#4,519
1957	10	#3,929
1956	8	#4,466
1955	9	#4,068
1954	6	#5,146
1953	7	#4,594
1952	15	#2,805
1951	11	#3,283
1950	8	#3,960
1949	10	#3,392
1948	18	#2,328
1947	8	#4,005
1946	6	#4,416
1945	8	#3,386
1944	8	#3,377
1943	9	#3,248
1942	7	#3,736
1941	0	–
1940	11	#2,571
1939	8	#3,143
1938	6	#3,845
1937	10	#2,734
1936	12	#2,385
1935	6	#3,740
1934	12	#2,423
1933	0	–
1932	8	#3,272
1931	8	#3,224
1930	13	#2,424
1929	6	#4,051
1928	11	#2,766
1927	9	#3,282
1926	17	#2,164
1925	6	#4,425
1924	14	#2,513
1923	6	#4,375
1922	15	#2,387
1921	15	#2,378
1920	14	#2,463
1919	13	#2,515
1918	19	#1,962
1917	10	#2,878
1916	20	#1,739
1915	17	#1,882
1914	15	#1,740
1913	6	#2,825
1912	11	#1,718
1911	9	#1,656
1910	8	#1,773
1909	7	#1,763
1908	0	–
1907	0	–
1906	0	–
1905	0	–
1904	6	#1,658
1903	5	#1,791
1902	5	#1,792
1901	0	–
1900	5	#1,931
1899	5	#1,595
1898	0	–
1897	5	#1,554
1896	7	#1,292
1895	7	#1,299
1894	7	#1,236

Nicknames for Calista

Callie 359 girls in the UK in 2025

Names like Calista

Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.

Athena, Fatima, Sophia, Elena, Isabella, Lyra, Ava, Zara, Aurora, Lara, Lyla, Chloe

Other spellings of Calista

Callista, Kalista, Kallista

Names related to Calista

Calysta

More Greek names

Luca, Theodore, George, Theo, Lucas, Sofia, Alexander, Sebastian, Penelope, Phoebe, Margot, Luke, Sophie, Zoe, Iris, Maisie

Every Greek name

Sources

Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.

To cite this page: Nameling, “Calista: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/calista, updated 20 October 2026.