Kalissa
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "beautiful".
Name Census estimates that about 1,069 living Americans carry the first name Kalissa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kalissa today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kalissa births was 2007 (79 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kalissa. 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.
People living today
1.1K
~ 1 in 320,631 Americans
Peak year
2007
79 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,145
Tracked since 1976
Popularity
Kalissa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kalissa from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 518 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kalissa 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 Kalissa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kalissas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 8 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Kalissa, while Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 26 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kalissa
The name Kalissa is believed to have its origins in Greek culture, with roots dating back to ancient times. It is thought to be a feminine variant of the Greek name Kallistos, which means "most beautiful" or "fairest." The name is derived from the Greek word "kallos," meaning beauty or loveliness.
In ancient Greek mythology, Kallistos was a nymph who was transformed into a bear by the goddess Hera out of jealousy. This mythological reference adds a layer of symbolism and cultural significance to the name Kalissa.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kalissa can be found in the works of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato, who lived from 428 BC to 348 BC. In his dialogues, Plato mentions a character named Kalissa, though little is known about her historical significance.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Kalissa. One such person was Kalissa Bashir, a renowned female mathematician and astronomer who lived in the 9th century AD in Baghdad. She made significant contributions to the fields of algebra and trigonometry and is remembered for her groundbreaking work on the calculation of planetary orbits.
Another historical figure with the name Kalissa was Kalissa of Trebizond, a Byzantine princess who lived in the 13th century. She was the daughter of the Emperor of Trebizond and played a crucial role in the political affairs of the Empire during her lifetime.
In the realm of literature, Kalissa Androutsou was a Greek poet and writer who lived in the 16th century. She is renowned for her poetic works that explored themes of love, nature, and the human experience.
During the Renaissance period, Kalissa Bonaventura was an Italian artist and painter who gained recognition for her portraits and religious works. She lived from 1490 to 1557 and was a contemporary of the renowned Renaissance artists Raphael and Michelangelo.
Another notable figure with the name Kalissa was Kalissa Konstantinou, a Greek revolutionary who fought for the independence of Greece from the Ottoman Empire in the early 19th century. She was born in 1795 and played a significant role in the Greek War of Independence, earning her a place in the annals of Greek history.
These are just a few examples of the historical figures who have borne the name Kalissa, each contributing to various fields and leaving their mark on the cultural and intellectual heritage of their respective eras.
People
Kalissa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kalissa as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kalissa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kalissa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,069 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kalissa 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 320,631 US residents.
Is Kalissa a common name?
We classify Kalissa as "Rare". It ranks above 90.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,088 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kalissa most popular?
The single biggest year for Kalissa was 2007, when 79 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kalissa is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Kalissa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kalissa 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.
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.