Callis
A masculine name of Greek origin meaning "beautiful".
Name Census estimates that about 2 living Americans carry the first name Callis. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Callis today is around 105 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Callis births was 1918 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Callis. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Callis is about 105 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Callis' were born before 1931.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Callis. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
2
~ 1 in 171,377,169 Americans
Peak year
1918
7 babies that year
Average age
105
years old
1938 SSA rank
#3,589
Tracked since 1916
Popularity
Callis: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Callis from the 1910s through to the 1930s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 16 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Callis remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Callis by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Callis during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Callis
The given name Callis has its roots in ancient Greek, where it was derived from the word "kallos," meaning beauty or beautiful. This name originated in the Greek city-states during the classical period, sometime around the 5th century BCE.
Callis was a relatively common name among the ancient Greeks, particularly in Athens and other major cultural centers. It was often given to children, both male and female, as a way to bestow upon them the blessing of physical beauty and grace.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Callis can be found in the writings of the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, who mentioned a woman by that name in his account of the Persian Wars. Additionally, the name appears in several ancient Greek plays and poems, further solidifying its place in the cultural lexicon of the time.
Throughout the ages, several notable figures have borne the name Callis. One such individual was Callis of Ephesus, a renowned philosopher who lived in the 3rd century BCE and was known for his teachings on ethics and virtue.
In the realm of literature, Callis of Alexandria was a celebrated poet and scholar who lived during the 2nd century CE. Her works, although largely lost to time, were highly regarded by her contemporaries and helped shape the literary landscape of the Hellenistic period.
During the Byzantine era, Callis Monomachos was a prominent military commander and member of the imperial family. He played a crucial role in the wars against the Seljuk Turks in the 11th century and was celebrated for his bravery and strategic acumen.
In the field of science, Callis Philoponus was a notable philosopher and scholar who lived in the 6th century CE. He made significant contributions to the study of physics and was one of the first thinkers to challenge Aristotelian notions of motion and change.
Finally, in the realm of religion, Callis of Corinth was a Christian martyr who lived in the 2nd century CE. She is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic traditions for her unwavering faith and willingness to sacrifice her life for her beliefs.
These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Callis, a name that has endured for centuries and continues to carry the essence of beauty and grace from its ancient Greek origins.
People
Callis + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Callis as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Callis: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Callis?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Callis going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 171,377,169 US residents.
Is Callis a common name?
We classify Callis as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 34 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Callis most popular?
The single biggest year for Callis was 1918, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Callis is about 105 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Callis in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Callis a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Callis in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Callis still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Callis in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Callis can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Callis?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.