| Ariadne | Callista | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Most holy | Most beautiful |
| Origin | Greek | greek |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | ar-ee-AD-nee | kuh-LIS-tuh |
| Syllables | 4 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1960 | 1914 |
| Peak year | 2016 (389) | 1999 (137) |
| In 2025 | 115 | 42 |
| Trend | Rising | Declining |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Ariadne | Callista |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 1,126 | 250 |
| 2010s | 2,589 | 567 |
| 2000s | 621 | 901 |
| 1990s | 255 | 424 |
| 1980s | 100 | 197 |
| 1970s | 63 | 44 |
| 1960s | 70 | 5 |
| 1950s | 0 | 28 |
| 1930s | 0 | 6 |
| 1920s | 0 | 23 |
| 1910s | 0 | 40 |
Ariadne means “most holy” in Greek; she guides Theseus from the labyrinth.
From Greek kallistos/kallistē 'most beautiful', the superlative of kalos, from kallos 'beauty'. Kalliste was a title of the goddess Artemis; the mythological nymph Kallisto bears the same root.
Ariadne is more popular than Callista today: about 115 US babies were given the name Ariadne in 2025, compared with 42 named Callista.
Ariadne means Most holy (Greek origin), while Callista means Most beautiful (greek origin).
In US records, Ariadne first appears in 1960 and Callista in 1914, so Callista has the longer recorded history.