Calisto as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Calisto

What is the meaning of the name Calisto ?

The baby name Calisto is a Female name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced kuh-LIS-toh (English),/kəˈlɪstoʊ/ (English IPA),kah-LEE-stoh (Italian/Spanish),/kaˈlisto/ (Italian/Spanish IPA).

Calisto is Greek in Origin.

Calisto is a Romance-language form of the Greek Kallistō/Kallistos, meaning “most beautiful,” from kalos “beautiful.” In classical myth, Kallistō (Latinized as Callisto) was a nymph transformed into a bear and set among the stars, a story that later lent its name to one of Jupiter’s Galilean moons. Through the Latin ecclesiastical forms Callistus/Callixtus, the name entered Christian usage, especially for early popes and saints.

The single‑L spelling Calisto appears in Spanish and Portuguese, and is familiar from Spanish literature via Calisto in La Celestina. Italian typically uses Callisto (masculine), while English often prefers Callisto for the mythic or celestial reference and Calista/Callista for the feminine form. Other variants include Kallisto (direct Greek transliteration), Calixto (Spanish), Callixtus (Latin), and Kallista/Kalista. Today Calisto sees cross‑gender, international use, buoyed by mythological and space themes. Nicknames include Cal, Callie, and Lito.