Calista
Calista is a name with multiple cultural origins: English, Portuguese, Spanish.
- English
- Portuguese
- Spanish
Meaning & Origin of Calista
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Calista is a name with multiple cultural origins: English, Portuguese, Spanish.
Origin data from Behind the Name .
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
- Portuguese
- Spanish
The Story of Calista
The earliest SSA record of Calista as a baby girl name dates back to 1894, when 7 babies received it. 1999 was its biggest year on record, with 490 newborns named Calista — #519 in the national rankings. About 36% of every Calista on record arrived during the 2000s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Calista ranks #1,461 for baby girls with 149 births, holding steady (0%). All told, over 8K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1890s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Calista
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Calista. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Calista
Phonetically similar names — useful when Calista is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Calista
What does the name Calista mean?
What is the origin of the name Calista?
How popular is Calista in 2026?
When was Calista most popular?
In which U.S. states is Calista most popular?
Is Calista a unisex name?
What names go well with Calista?
What are nicknames or variants of Calista?
About the name Calista
Calista is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1894 and has accumulated 8K births in the dataset. Calista's peak popularity came in 1999 when it ranked #519. Use the chart and map above to compare Calista's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1999 →
- Names of the 1990s →
- Names starting with "C" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.