Calliope
Calliope was the 451st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 682 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 698 places. More babies were named Calliope in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning beautiful voice · Greek
Say it kuh-LY-uh-pee /kəˈlaɪəpi/
- Rank in 2025
- #451 girls, up 241 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 682girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2025682 babies
- Total since 1880
- 6,098babies recorded
What does the name Calliope mean?
Calliope is the Greek Muse of epic poetry, Kalliopē, from kalli-, "beautiful", and ops, "voice", as Wiktionary notes; in myth she was the mother of Orpheus. Dictionary.com also records calliope as the name of a steam-whistle organ. As a girl's name it is rare but rising in the US.
καλλι- (Ancient Greek, “beautiful”)ὄψ (Ancient Greek, “voice”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Callie, Kalliope, Calla.
See also: Greek names, names that mean beautiful.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Calliope', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'Calliope', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
Nicknames for Calliope
The usual nicknames for Calliope are Callie. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Calliope in the last five years, 286 were named Callie, against 4716 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Callie · also for Caroline | Modern | #175 | 8,366 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Calliopes go by each one.
Calliope popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #451 | 682 |
| 2020 | #692 | 411 |
| 2010 | #2,223 | 87 |
| 2000 | #10,038 | 9 |
| 1990 | #7,968 | 10 |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Calliope, counting every spelling?
Calliope is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #398 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #451 for Calliope on its own. Together these spellings went to 826 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calliope | 682 | #451 | 2,925 |
| Kalliope | 113 | #1,787 | 494 |
| Kaliope | 17 | #6,676 | 87 |
| Caliope | 14 | #7,563 | 55 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Calliope?
682 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Calliope (0.19 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Calliope born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 12 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Calliope.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Calliope?
About 6,000 people born in the US named Calliope are alive today, with a median age of 6; half are between 3 and 10. That makes Calliope a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Calliope by state
How common Calliope was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New Mexico (4.6×), Idaho (3.0×), Oregon (2.9×), West Virginia (2.6×), Washington (2.2×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Louisiana, Alabama, Minnesota.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Calliope: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Calliope, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Calliope · Sibling names for Calliope
Questions about the name Calliope
What does Calliope mean?
Calliope means “beautiful voice” (Greek origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Calliope?
Calliope was the 451st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 682 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 698 places. More babies were named Calliope in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Calliope a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Calliope in the US.
Where is Calliope most popular?
In 2021–2025, Calliope was most common in Alaska (1.86 per 1,000 girls), followed by New Mexico and Maine.