Dear Swistle,
I’ve been reading your blog for years, and am now in dire need of your help as a baby naming expert/unicorn.
It’s been a difficult road, but we are thrilled to finally be expecting our third and final child – a girl – in January. Our two boys have familiar, but not super common, Biblical names (not in the top 100). We are Jewish and our last name is a one syllable, multi-consonant mouthful beginning with “Sh.”
The name we absolutely love – the one that makes my heart sing and say, “Yes, this is my daughter” is Calla. But…. it’s just so unusual, particularly compared to my boys’ names, and according to assorted random internet commenters – (you should always listen to those, right?) – Calla seems like “not a name.”
What are your thoughts? Is Calla a unique, but legitimate, alternative to more common floral or antique charm names like Violet, Lily, or Lila and destined for its day in the baby naming sun? Or does it sound completely made up and/or unfinished? We don’t like invented names, uber trendy names, or non-traditional spellings. Other names I like are Nora, Eve, and Hazel, but I don’t love any of these nearly as much as I love Calla.
Thank you so much & I promise to send an update once she’s born!
~An indecisive mama
I’m so annoyed at the idea of some internet commenter saying Calla doesn’t seem like a name. What does that even mean? It IS a name! You know what makes a name seem like a name? INCREASED USAGE AS A NAME. You know what can inhibit increased usage as a name? GOING AROUND SAYING IT DOESN’T SEEM LIKE A NAME. I’m sure if there had been the internet back when the name Jennifer was first appearing in U.S. usage, we would have a record of commenters saying it didn’t really seem like a name to them.
Well. The name Calla IS a name, and we don’t need to waste time debating whether or not it SEEMS like one with internet strangers. We CAN discuss its usage as a name. The Social Security Administration makes available for download their background information on names going back to 1880. I checked in 1880, and there were 6 new baby girls that year named Calla. So the name has been in use in the U.S. since AT LEAST 1880. (You know what name has NOT been used in the U.S. that long? JENNIFER.) Let’s check in with the name every ten years:
1880: 6
1890: 10
1900: 7
1910: 5
1920: 14
1930: 10
1940: 5
1950: 12
1960: 8
1970: 5
1980: 7
1990: 41
2000: 57
2010: 233
And in 2018, there were 122 new baby girls named Calla. That puts it currently in a similar popularity category with Constance, Calista, Lucinda, Moira, Cecily, Lois, Joan, and Millicent.
It was used rarely but at a fairly consistent rate until 1986, when it abruptly increased in usage. I looked into it a little bit to see what brought it to everyone’s attention, and it seems to have been…a TV show about gummi bears? Well! That is not something I’d have known, nor an association I imagine lingers with any strength, though perhaps others can weigh in on this.
For me the only association is with the flower, so I do think of it as a less-common flower/nature/word name, roughly in the same category as the names Dahlia and Fern. I wouldn’t be surprised to see it getting more popular alongside names such as Ella and Lila.
I don’t think it matters if the name is less common than the names you used for your sons, as long as the particular mix of names doesn’t sound startlingly odd together: it’s not at all unusual for parents to have a different naming style for boys than for girls. My own style is Top 50 boy names and less common girl names, and it made me VERY NERVOUS when I was naming my girl, but it hasn’t been an issue at all. It helps that U.S. culture overall is more creative with and accepting of unusual names for girls.
Make sure to test out the first name and surname together (that is, without the middle name) to see if they blend together. I wondered briefly if Calla + S_____ might form the word “callous,” but I don’t think that happens with the initial sound is Sh- rather than S-.
I think if you love it, there is no reason I can see not to use it—and I think you’ll be happy you did.
Name update:
Hi Swistle,
We so appreciate your – (and your readers’!) – reassurance around the name Calla and quickly agreed we would definitely use it. The middle name was another story, but we finally settled on Call@ Jul1et after meeting our sweet baby girl in the hospital. Thanks so much again!
I would like to take this opportunity to point out that ALL NAMES ARE MADE UP NAMES. All names were “not” names at some point. Calla is beautiful and you should use it.
Perhaps it’s because I went to school with a very kind and intelligent Calla (born late 80s), but I would be happy to see more usage. It’s exactly that “fits in, stands out” type of name a lot of people are seeking. I would go for it.
Please use the name Calla! It’s beautiful! You’re making me rethink what to name my fourth baby (if she’s a girl).
It’s the middle name of Caroline, editor at Cup of Jo, which is a positive, fun, and a bit sophisticated association for me. Definitely a name!
Calla is gorgeous & very much a legit name. I’ve known one Calla & her brother was William, called Will. I never gave the set–1 common name, 1 uncommon name– a single thought. USE IT!!!!
I would have guess it was more popular! Such a lovely flower name.
I now have the theme song to that Saturday morning cartoon stuck in my head. But…I do not remember the characters names at all. I do recall that the idea of drinking juice and jumping around seemed wonderful to me as a child and seems like a show I’d veto as a parent!
Love it! I actually know a Calla born in the 1980s and it has never seemed highly unusual to me. It’s so similar to Callie (which was super popular at one point) that it has a familiar feeling. You should totally use it – it’s beautiful!
I love it, and, more importantly, you love it, and that’s the best reason to use a name!
I ADORE IT, and cannot wait for an update with a picture of your lovely little Calla. To me that is already her name, that’s how sure I am that this is perfect for her.
I think Calla is a beautiful name and I also now have the theme song to the Gummi Bears show in my head. That was a nice blast from the past :)
Calla definitely seems to me like an uncommon but instantly recognizable name. And a lovely one at that.
As someone who gave her three daughters unusual names, I say pick what you like and name your daughter what you want. Once she’s here, that will be Her Name, and you will not remember why you ever questioned it. I love my kids’ names and am so happy I didn’t let the few people I shared them with before they were born, persuade or dissuade me.
Calla is a lovely name!
I have no gummy bear associations with Calla. And I have heard of it and I think it sounds like a name, a pretty one at that. Go for it.
I was NOT expecting Calla when I clicked on this link. I was expecting a Jamiroquai or a Crinoline or something! Calla is beautiful and it’s high on my name list, especially as my mam’s name is Susan, which means Lily. I like the idea of a subtle honour name there. It’s lovely, truly. Please use it!
Was coming to say exactly this! “Crinoline”–ha! :)
Calla is lovely! It was one of my options had my current baby been a girl. I’d love to see you use it.
Agreeeeee! It sounds like Willa to me, it’s familiar to me, it’s great, and who cares what I think anyway? If you like it, use it!
Calla is a beautiful name!
It’s beautiful and definitely a name and you love it! Please use it.
I completely agree with Swistle and every commenter before me – Calla is a wonderful name and you shouldn’t hesitate to use it. It doesn’t sound made up at all to me, and I wouldn’t even bat an eye upon hearing it on a baby girl – and I’m not even American. (I can also add that when I was in high school – so more than a decade ago – I wrote a fantasy/sci-fi story and named my main protagonist Calla [with middle name Grace] – and even then this name didn’t sound made up to me.) So, long story short, I also vote for using Calla!
Adding to the “I know a Calla” mix! She was most likely born late 70s/ early 80s, but she was (is?- I knew her in college) spunky, fun, and a great person all around. I think we did a couple road trips from home to college, and if you can do that and still like the person and her name, then that’s a win!
I am also surprised the name is not as common as it is. Perhaps I’m lumping in the Callies?
Go for it!
This is what I did when we were deciding on a name that wasn’t in the top 1000. I searched the name on Instagram/Facebook combined with a common middle name (i.e #callagrace) and had a look at all the pictures with that hashtag. It really helped me to picture the name on a cute little baby and also helped me realise that there are people in real life with that name. Although my husband says that it’s weird and creepy thing to do so 🤷
A) I love that name and think it’s beautiful and calla lilies are beautiful too; and
B) It reminds me of kal-LAH, the Hebrew word for “bride.” You could totally get away with saying it’s Biblical, Jewish, Hebrew, whatever you’d like — it’s legit!!
I should have done a better phonetic spelling — kah-LAH. It uses different letters (in Hebrew, the first letter would be our equivalent of a K) but it would be the same sounds.
I’m sorry if I am not making this clearer, ha. The point is that this name is FAB. :)
My son has a top 50 name and both of my daughters have significantly more uncommon names (one is in the 800s and the other isn’t even in the top 1000). But they are still similar in style, if not popularity, and it hasn’t remotely been an issue. I say use Calla! It’s very pretty.
This is fine! It is a nice, easy to understand word name with a lovely flower association.
I remember gummy bears! My kids have actually rewatched these on youtube and we love them. They are really nice with positive family messages (stick together, help your friends, be brave). I didn’t remember the Calla character but perhaps it was the princess? The association is all positive to me.
Love Calla! I have wondered about it if baby number two had been a girl! Didn’t know the lily-Susan link! I say use it! It is beautiful!
Love it and it is definitely a name! Unique but not weird, that perfect combination!
Calla is a real name, and a quite lovely one too. Ignore the haters and use the name you love.
Oh goodness, thank you so much for answering my question, Swistle, and to all of you, wonderful commenters, for providing reassurance that our chosen name for our daughter is a lovely, reasonable choice and that assorted Internet commenters who say things like “calla lilies smell bad” are unhelpful at best, other adjectives at worst. (I forever trust in the Swistle readers’ perspectives.) My husband says that he remembers the gummy bears show, but had no idea there was a character named Calla. Indeed, it is “Princess Calla” and she is buried all the way down on the Wikipedia page.
And now, onto the middle name…..
I am feeling fresh outrage over “calla lilies smell bad.” How very dare they!
Really lovely choice. By all means, gift it to your daughter!
Congrats!
I know a Calla too! She was my student a couple of years ago, so she must have been born in… 2005ish. She was a delight, probably because she had such a delightful name.
I work with TWO Callas! (both in their 20s) One pronounces it like the lily, and the other pronounces it like Kayla. Go for it!
I know a 4 year old Calla, and her name seems very real to me!
I’m surprised Calla isn’t a more popular name since flower (Cally lily) is so pretty/elegant (and that’s what I associate with the name Calla)!
Maybe I spend too much time on baby name advice boards, but this name doesn’t even feel unusual to me. I see it being considered, discussed, and suggested a lot–I’m shocked that it’s not more popular than it actually is!
Please do NOT not use this name because it’s “too unusual,” or less common than your boys’. It has a lot going for it and is definitely fresher than the other flower names, in my view!
Oh, I’m so happy to hear that you’re using this name. It’s one of my top favorites, and I was so sad when my husband vetoed it.
I know a sweet Calla who is 5 and the name sounds current and lovely to me!
We live next door to an amazing little girl named Calla. She is fiesty and smart and kind and I just….Calla is a perfect name! I hope you use it.
I think Calla is lovely and very usable. It is similar to Callie but feels fresher. If after all this great feedback you’re still not confident using the name, another option would be Callister nn Calla, although I agree that Calla stands on its own.
I would have thought that Calla would have been more popular. It is a lovely name. Now The Gummy Bears song is in my head.
My cousin has a daughter named Calla! When I heard it I thought “what a pretty, unusual flower name.” She also has Elise, Arden & Macklen (girl/boy twins).
I say use it!!
Growing up, spending summers at camp, we would always go to eat ice cream as a special evening activity once a summer at “Chief and Calla’s” — the names of the founders of the camp. She was a lovely lady, and it never occurred to me that the name was so rare. Such a beautiful flower name — go for it!
Considering how popular Lily is and the general popularity of calla lilies, I doubt it’ll seem particularly startling. Certainly less so than my 3yo Susan’s name! (my daughter is named for my late mother.)
Oh, and there is a homophone for Calla from one of India’s cultures, Kala, so the sound will be a shade more familiar to some. I’ve a friend named Kala. She makes beautiful, intricate quilts with characters like Storm from X-Men. Out of her own head.
I know a Calla (in her teens) and have always thought she has a lovely name.
I love the name Calla, and I’ve known someone (a nice someone, middle aged) named Calla. When I first met Calla, her name didn’t strike me as particularly unusual. The sounds were all normal — it sounded to me like an established name. Though — I did think it was a NICE name, and continued to think so as I got to know her better. I’m a nickname sort of person, so I’ll say I also love the nickname Callie, though Calla is also a great name. I would think it would fit well with two Biblical boy names. Jedidiah, Elijah, and Calla. Even if the boy names are very unusual … I think Calla would be a sweet and smooth addition to the group. I love it and hope you use it.
My name is Jennifer & I tell people all the time (especially in middle school when I wanted to go by my middle name) that it doesn’t sound like a name. Calla sounds great!
I can see your point about not wanting two nature names, but I don’t think it’s a terribly big deal. I do personally like multi-syllable middle names and think those would flow particularly well with Calla. So, some suggestions:
Harmony
Abigail
Amaris
Amalia
Amity
Josephine
I really like Calla Josephine.
I think Calla Hazel is perfectly fine and doesn’t sound too hippieish. Calla Juliet would be lovely if you want to go that way.
Flow-wise, I like a 3 syllable or 1 syllable muddle with Calla the best. But as you said flow bothers you less for a name you love, if Calla Hazel makes your heart sing, go with it!
Other options:
Calla Hope
Calla Harriet
Calla Helena
Calla Aviva
Calla Jocelyn
I’m glad you went with your heart and stuck to Calla. I think Calla Hazel is fine, but I also like Calla Juliet. Calla Harriet for another H name?
I missed the original post but my first thought was, oh, my great grandmother’s name!! Not a name?? Crazy. I’m so glad you went with the name you loved!
I see the baby is already born and named (congrats!), but I have one more thought on “Calla” sounding like “not a name.” Is it because 1980s kids grew up surrounded by girls named Kayla? I think Kayla has disappeared from use, and I didn’t immediately think of it when I read Calla, but it sure has a close sound, if stylistically on a whole different page.