Given name & surname
Calista
“the most beautiful”
In Greek use, Calista carries the interpretation “the most beautiful.”
Original Ancient GreekΚάλλιστος
Meaning & origin
What it means
In Greek use, Calista carries the interpretation “the most beautiful.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Greek.
How it developed
Calista is used as a form of Kallisto.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1894. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. Calista is a variant of Callisto. The history of Callisto gives this family its wider story. Callisto’s historical associations include several early saints, including a 3rd-century pope and a 6th-century bishop of Todi in central Italy.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Calista through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 7,504
- 0 boys · 7,504 girls
- Most popular year
- 1999
- 490 babies
- 2025
- 131
- #1,597 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −10%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 131 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 1,597 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 9.7% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 490 in 1999. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (27). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 6,028 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Calista’s family of names
In English usage, Calista developed from the Latin form CALLISTUS. In Indonesian usage, Calista has a related form in Callista. Calista has a related form in Colista.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 11
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Callistavariant · Indonesian
- Calistovariant
- Colistavariant
- Callistovariant
- Calisstalikely variant
- Caleestavariant
- Caleastavariant
- Caleistavariant
Show 3 moreShow fewer
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 4
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Calista
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Calista, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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