girl's name
Callie
KAL-ee
- Origin Greek
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 82,082
the United States
#175
2025 births
Callie is a girl's name of Greek origin meaning "beautiful." It shortens Calliope or Caroline — two entirely unrelated names — so what it means depends on which of them a bearer is named for.
- Callie is a name of Greek origin.
- Peaked in 2014, when 1,763 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 1,890 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Callie over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 1,553 |
| 1890s | 2,162 |
| 1900s | 2,200 |
| 1910s | 3,155 |
| 1920s | 3,163 |
| 1930s | 1,982 |
| 1940s | 1,517 |
| 1950s | 1,238 |
| 1960s | 1,046 |
| 1970s | 1,808 |
| 1980s | 5,070 |
| 1990s | 9,416 |
| 2000s | 10,916 |
| 2010s | 15,504 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 10,097 |
What Callie means
Callie means beautiful when it comes from the Greek kallos. Taken as a short form of Caroline it inherits free man instead, from the Germanic karl, which is an entirely different sense.
Where Callie comes from
Callie has two parents. The Greek kallos, beauty, opens Calliope — beautiful-voiced, the muse of epic poetry and the mother of Orpheus — and Callista, most beautiful. Separately, Caroline is the feminine of Charles, from the Germanic karl, a free man, and Callie serves as its pet form too. Because the two sources are unconnected, reference works list beautiful and free person side by side without explanation. The calliope steam organ is named for the muse.
Callie in use
Our data shows Callie peaking in 2014 and still rising, and it first appears in our records in 1880. It sits in the same position as Bella and Cleo on this site: a pet form of two unrelated parents, now registered independently far more often than either.
How popular is Callie?
In 2025, Callie was given to 1,754 babies in the United States, ranking #175 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Callie is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Callie
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Callie also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Callie over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Callie
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Callie in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Callie
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Callie — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Callie
What does the name Callie mean?
"Beautiful" from the Greek kallos, or "free man" if it stands for Caroline — two unrelated sources.
Is Callie short for Calliope?
It can be, and also for Caroline. The two parent names have nothing in common.
Who was Calliope?
The muse of epic poetry and the mother of Orpheus. Her name means beautiful-voiced.
How popular is the name Callie?
In 2025, Callie was given to 1,754 babies in the United States, ranking #175 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Callie a girl's or a boy's name?
Callie is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Callie?
Callie has 2 syllables.
When was Callie most popular?
Callie peaked in 2014, when 1,763 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Callie?
Callie is usually shortened to Cal.
Is Callie a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Callie currently ranks #47 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.