Total births
7,504
Girls' name · since 1894
Calista
7,504 babies named Calista in U.S. Social Security records since 1894, with the highest year being 1999. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1453
- among girls today
- 7,504
- born since 1894
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 92%
- more common than other girls
7,504 babies have been named Calista since 1894, making it today's #1453 girls' name.
Calista has 7,504 recorded births among girls since 1894, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #1453 as of the latest data, more common than 92% of girls, busiest in the 2000s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1894 to 2025.
- #1453 among girls today
- 7,504 born since 1894
- 2000s peak decade
- 92% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Calista is currently the #1453 girls' name in America, more common than 92% of girls - 7,504 born since 1894, peaking in the 2000s.
- #1453
- among girls today
- 7,504
- born since 1894
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 92%
- more common than other girls
Calista vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#1453
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 92% of names given to girls today.
2000s
Peak decade
36% of everyone ever named Calista was born in this single decade.
1999
Single peak year
490 babies were named Calista in 1999 - its busiest year on record.
How Calista compares
7,504 Top 10% higher than 90% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Calista's all-time total is 20x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Calista | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 7,504 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 490 | 48 | 19,840 |
Calista's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Calista's full recorded timeline at 1964, 92% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 8% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1897, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1999 peak of 490 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Calista at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1999
Current rank
#1,453
Active since
1894
Calista popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1894–2025
- Peak year (1999)
- 490
- Annual births at peak, across 132 years of records
Calista by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2000s was Calista's strongest decade.
2,733 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 36% of all-time use.
Calista births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1890s 31
1890s
31 births
- 1900s 28
1900s
28 births
- 1910s 128
1910s
128 births
- 1920s 113
1920s
113 births
- 1930s 83
1930s
83 births
- 1940s 85
1940s
85 births
- 1950s 88
1950s
88 births
- 1960s 111
1960s
111 births
- 1970s 220
1970s
220 births
- 1980s 310
1980s
310 births
- 1990s 1,056
1990s
1,056 births
- 2000s
2000s
2,733 births
- 2010s
2010s
1,764 births
- 2020s 754
2020s
754 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 2,733 births (36% of all-time use).
How Calista compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Calista's total volume
Calista vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Calista by state
Where Calista concentrates geographically, total births since 1894
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 963 | 12.8% |
| #2 | Texas | | 523 | 7.0% |
| #3 | Florida | | 287 | 3.8% |
| #4 | New York | | 286 | 3.8% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 259 | 3.5% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 237 | 3.2% |
| #7 | Arizona | | 205 | 2.7% |
| #8 | Illinois | | 191 | 2.5% |
California share of Calista's total US births 12.8%
Even split
963 of 7,504 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 36 reporting states.
Calista appears in 36 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Calista? ▼
7,504 babies have been named Calista since 1894. It currently ranks #1453 among girls. The peak year was 1999 with 490 births.
When was Calista most popular? ▼
Calista was most popular in the 2000s decade with 2,733 total births. The single peak year was 1999.
Where is Calista most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Calista are California (963 births), Texas (523 births), Florida (287 births).
How long has the name Calista been used? ▼
Records for Calista go back to 1894, giving 132 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Calista? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Callie, Cali, Calliope, Caleigh, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Calista's data
- Calista's decade-level peak was the 2000s (2,733 total births); usage has since declined to 754 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Calistas (963 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Calista
Nearby Names Like Calista
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Calista
Callie Girl
#176 70,190 births
Cali Girl
#493 23,342 births
Calliope Girl
#498 6,098 births
Caleigh Girl
#2711 5,768 births
Calli Girl
#4919 4,517 births
Compare Calista side by side: Calista vs Callie Calista vs Cali Calista vs Calliope
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Calista
Shirley #1452
686,383 births · Peak 1935
Sofie #1454
5,003 births · Peak 2012
Xitlali #1451
2,957 births · Peak 2025
Anyla #1455
2,795 births · Peak 2019
Kamilah #1450
6,489 births · Peak 2019
Nashly #1456
862 births · Peak 2024
Raine #1449
3,255 births · Peak 2022
Nell #1457
27,612 births · Peak 1917
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1894–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Calista: #1453 Girls' Name - 7,504 Births, Peak 1999." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/calista. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Calista draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.