Given name & surname
Calla
“resembling a lily; a beautiful woman”
Calla is used as a given name and a surname. One Greek interpretation is “resembling a lily; a beautiful woman.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Greek interpretation is “resembling a lily; a beautiful woman.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Greek.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Calla through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 4,408
- 0 boys · 4,408 girls
- Most popular year
- 2017
- 176 babies
- 2025
- 156
- #1,397 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −1%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 156 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 1,397 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 1.4% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 176 in 2017. In 2025, North Carolina and Texas shared the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (10 each). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 3,050 as a first name in 2020; 417 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named Calla
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Calla, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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Lila
“born at night” · “resembling a lily”
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“the shining light”
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“one who shall rise again”
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Rhea
Rhea is a feminine given name from Ancient Greek. It is used in English, Norwegian Bokmål, and Cebuano.
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