Calista

Meaning of Calista

Calista, pronounced kah-LEE-stah in its original Greek and more briskly kuh-LIS-tuh in English, springs from the adjective kallistos, “most beautiful,” a meaning that seems to hover over the name like soft stage lighting. Classical scholars may think first of Callisto, the ill-fated nymph whom Zeus relocated to the night sky, while pop-culture watchers are more likely to picture actress Calista Flockhart—whose late-1990s heyday nudged the name to its modern U.S. peak of No. 465 in 1999 (a statistical high point that, with dry irony, arrived while her on-screen persona remained chronically single). Since then, Calista has drifted back to the low 800s, making it a quietly distinctive choice: familiar enough to pronounce, rare enough to elicit compliments. With its silvery consonants and storied pedigree, Calista offers parents a balanced blend of myth, Hollywood sparkle, and understated elegance—an appealing option for anyone seeking a baby name that feels both time-tested and refreshingly under-used.