Calla

Meaning of Calla

Calla unfolds like the white lily whose name it bears: simple at first glance, yet rooted in a tangle of histories. Most etymologists pin its origin on the Greek word “kallos,” meaning “beauty,” while Scandinavian records list it as a brisk pet name for Carolina, and Celtic scholars note its similarity to the Gaelic Caoilfhionn. In Persian miniature painting, lilies often appear beside nightingales as cool witnesses to moonlit courtship, so the name slips easily into a Tehran garden party as well as an Aegean myth. American parents have treated Calla rather like saffron—sprinkled sparingly but consistently—holding her between the 700s and 900s in the national charts for more than a century and never letting her overpower the dish. Pronounced KAH-luh, Calla suits those who prefer a botanical badge of beauty without the ostentation of Magnolia or the pruning demands of Hyacinth.