Callista (given name)
Callista is a feminine given name derived from the Greek word καλλίστη or kallístē, meaning "fairest" or "most beautiful". In Greek mythology, Callisto was a huntress, who was loved by the god Zeus. Calista is a variant English spelling of the same Greek word. Calista is also a Late Latin name that evolved as a Spanish form of Calixta, the feminine version of the name Calixtus. Calixtus was derived from the Latin calix, meaning cup, taken from the Ancient Greek κύλιξ, meaning "chalice" and used by early Christians in reference to the cup used during the Eucharist.
Other English spellings of the name are Callistee, Callysta, Calysta, Kalista, Kallista, Kallistee, and Kalysta.
Usage
The name was traditionally used most often in Bohemia, but has been in occasional use in the Anglosphere since the early 19th century. Both Callista and Calista became better known worldwide due to the fame of American actress Calista Flockhart, who portrayed the heroine of the popular American legal comedy drama television series Ally McBeal, which aired from 1997 to 2002. Flockhart was given her mother's middle name as a first name. The name Calista first appeared on popularity charts in the United States, France, and the United Kingdom in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but then declined again in use. Calista was among the top 1,000 names for girls in the United States between 1998 and 2004, was among the top 500 names for French girls between 2001 and 2005, and was among the top 1,000 names for British girls for one year, in 2001.Women named Callista
- Callista Balko, American former college softball player
- Callista Chimombo, Malawian politician and widow of President Bingu wa Mutharika
- Callista Clark, American country music singer
- Callista Gingrich, American diplomat, businesswoman, author, and documentary film producer
- Callista Roy, American nun, nursing theorist, professor and author
Women named Calista
- Calista Flockhart, American actress
- Calista Cooper Hughes, American politician
- Calista V. Luther, American missionary and medical doctor, daughter of Calista Vinton
- Calista Halsey Patchin, American journalist and artist
- Calista Redmond, American business executive
- Calista Vinton, American Baptist missionary, mother of Calista V. Luther
As middle name
- Harriet Calista Clark McCabe, American pioneer in women's work for temperance and home missions
- Lucy Calista Morgan, American weaver and teacher
Women named Kalista
- Kalista Sy, Senegalese screenwriter
Women named Kallista
- Kallista Field, New Zealand equestrian
- Kallista Kann, Estonian linguist and teacher