Clista
A feminine name of unknown origin, potentially related to the Greek word "klisto" meaning "celebrated".
Name Census estimates that about 78 living Americans carry the first name Clista. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Clista today is around 67 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Clista births was 1920 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Clista. 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 Clista is about 67 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Clistas were born before 1969.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Clista. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
78
~ 1 in 4,394,286 Americans
Peak year
1920
15 babies that year
Average age
67
years old
1978 SSA rank
#8,752
Tracked since 1898
Census
Clista in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 199 people with the first name Clista, which placed it at #38,518 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#38,518
National first-name rank
People counted
199
199 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
79.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Clista
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Clista is White at 79.9%. The next largest groups are Black (9.0%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Clista described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Clista at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.9% · 159
- Black or African American9.0% · 18
- Two or more races5.0% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 3
Popularity
Clista: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Clista from the 1890s through to the 1970s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 64 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Clista remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Clista 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 Clista 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 Clista
The name Clista has its roots in ancient Greece, originating from the Greek word "klistos," which means "renowned" or "celebrated." It is believed to have been derived from the word "kleos," meaning "glory" or "fame." The name gained popularity during the classical period in Greece, particularly in the region of Attica, where Athens was located.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Clista can be found in the works of the ancient Greek poet Pindar, who lived from 522 BC to 443 BC. In his "Isthmian Odes," Pindar mentions a woman named Clista, though little is known about her beyond her name's inclusion in the text.
During the Hellenistic period, which spanned from the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC to the emergence of the Roman Empire, the name Clista was often given to girls born into prominent families. It was seen as a symbol of prestige and a wish for the child to achieve great renown in their lifetime.
One notable historical figure who bore the name Clista was a Greek philosopher and mathematician who lived in the 3rd century BC. She is believed to have been a student of the renowned philosopher Plato and is credited with making significant contributions to the field of geometry, though much of her work has been lost to time.
In the 2nd century AD, a woman named Clista was mentioned in the writings of the Roman historian Cassius Dio. She was believed to be a wealthy Roman matron who played a role in the political intrigues of her time, though the details of her life are largely unknown.
Another famous Clista was a Byzantine noblewoman who lived in the 6th century AD. She was known for her patronage of the arts and her support of the Eastern Orthodox Church, and her name is inscribed on several religious artifacts that have survived to modern times.
During the Middle Ages, the name Clista fell out of favor in most parts of Europe, but it continued to be used in some regions of Greece and the Byzantine Empire. It was not until the Renaissance period that the name began to regain popularity, particularly among educated and aristocratic circles who appreciated its classical roots.
One of the most notable figures to bear the name Clista during this time was an Italian Renaissance painter who lived in the 15th century. She was renowned for her portraiture and religious works, and her paintings can still be found in various churches and museums throughout Italy.
While the name Clista has never been extremely common, it has endured throughout history, carrying with it a sense of prestige and a connection to the glories of ancient Greece. Its meaning and origins serve as a reminder of the enduring legacy of classical culture and the appreciation for fame and renown that has persisted across centuries.
People
Clista + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Clista 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
Clista: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Clista?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 78 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Clista 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 4,394,286 US residents.
Is Clista a common name?
We classify Clista as "Very Rare". It ranks above 60.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 267 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Clista most popular?
The single biggest year for Clista was 1920, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Clista is about 67 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Clista in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 199 people with the name Clista, or 0.07 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #38,518 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Clista in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Clista?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Clista leans strongly female. 195 people counted with this name were female (97.0%), compared with 6 male bearers (3.0%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Clista?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Clista is White at 79.9%. The next largest groups are Black (9.0%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Clista most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Clista in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.9% (159 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Clista in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Clista a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Clista in the SSA data are female. 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 Clista still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Clista 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 Clista 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.
How many people are named Clista?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.