Calista

Calista is a name with two possible origins, one Greek and one Latin. The Greek word “kallistos” (Καλλιστος) means “fairest, most beautiful” in reference to a mythological nymph named Kallisto (with whom the god Zeus fell in love). Another source suggests that Calista comes from the Latin male name Calixtus – from the Latin word “calix” meaning “cup” (specifically the cup used for the wine during the Christian sacrament). Apropos, Callixtus was a named shared by three different popes. According to Greek mythology, the beautiful virginal nymph Kallisto was a follower of Zeus’s daughter Artemis, the goddess of the hunt. Zeus spotted Kallisto and became instantly enraptured with the beautiful nymph. The god of god’s disguised himself in order to trick Kallisto into his embrace; it obviously worked because she bore him a son Arcas. Artemis, however, was not pleased with her father’s indiscretion so she shot Kallisto with her silver arrow to avenge her mother Hera. Zeus took pity on the nymph and his son, so he turned them into bears and set them in the night sky as stars (known as the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor which translates to Larger Bear and Smaller Bear in Latin). The Latin form of Calista has never been a particularly popular name in English-speaking countries; considered too exotic and bohemian. The nicknames Callie and Kallie have been used with far greater frequency.