| Selene | Calliope | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Moon | Beautiful voice |
| Origin | greek | greek |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | seh-LEE-nee | kuh-LY-uh-pee |
| Syllables | 3 | 4 |
| First appeared | 0 | 1917 |
| Peak year | 2025 (469) | 2025 (682) |
| In 2025 | 0 | 682 |
| Trend | Rising | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Selene | Calliope |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 2,455 | 3,336 |
| 2010s | 2,348 | 2,339 |
| 2000s | 1,709 | 287 |
| 1990s | 1,608 | 55 |
| 1980s | 481 | 11 |
| 1970s | 473 | 5 |
| 1960s | 359 | 0 |
| 1950s | 161 | 10 |
| 1940s | 79 | 0 |
| 1930s | 12 | 5 |
| 1920s | 23 | 43 |
| 1910s | 5 | 7 |
Selene (Greek Selene) is the ancient Greek goddess who personified the moon; the word is related to 'selas' meaning light or brightness. A direct, literal moon name.
From Greek Kalliopē, from kallos 'beauty' + ops 'voice', literally 'beautiful-voiced'. The name of the Muse of epic poetry; the 'beauty' root (kallos) is explicit.
Calliope is more popular than Selene today: about 682 US babies were given the name Calliope in 2025, compared with 0 named Selene.
Selene means Moon (greek origin), while Calliope means Beautiful voice (greek origin).
In US records, Selene first appears in 0 and Calliope in 1917, so Selene has the longer recorded history.