Lily is wildly popular. Kayla has inspired dozens of spin-offs. So why shouldn’t this botanical choice be the next big thing?
Thanks to Corinne for suggesting Calla as Name of the Day.
Nature names have been trending upwards for years. Some are simple floral picks, like Lily and Rose. Others are as adventurous as Canyon. Somewhere in between fall a host of floral appellations that are seldom heard, but seem perfectly wearable as given names. Calla is among the most promising of the bunch.
Calla lilies are popular picks for brides. Because they’re also associated with Easter, it’s a nice choice for a spring-born baby, too. They’re native to Africa and are part of the genus zantedeschia. (That mouthful of a moniker honors Italian botanist Giovanni Zantedeschi.) Diego Rivera painted them more than once.
Despite the blooms’ use, Calla has never caught on as a name. A few Victorians discovered her, and she briefly charted in the US Top 1000 during the nineteenth century.
Two Callas turn up, one real and one fictional:
- Back in the 1980s, the Gummi Bears leapt from the candy shop to Saturday morning television. The cartoon included the human Princess Calla, one of the few people aware of the bears’ existence;
- Late NBC president Brandon Tartikoff named one of his daughters Calla, presumably as a clever nod to mom, Brandon’s wife Lilly. Since Tartikoff was at the helm when the Gummi Bears show debuted, sources suggest that Princess Calla is named in her honor.
While there’s no linguistic connection, the name also conjures up operatic legend Maria Callas. And if you’re a Stephen King fan, there’s Calla Bryn Sturgis, a place name in his Dark Tower saga. (In fact, more than one Calla dots his fantastic landscape.)
Some sites link Calla to the Greek word kallos, or beauty. It’s another point in favor of her use.
Circa 2009, Calla could be the perfect choice for parents hoping to strike a balance between standing out and fitting in. While she’s been out of the Top 1000 since the 1890s, consider her similarity to:
- Top Ten favorites Emma and Hannah, as well as Clara, Sara, Ella, Bella, Stella and Leah;
- Other C-starters like Chloe and Claire;
- Trendy favorites like Kayla and Kaylee;
- Nickname names like Callie and Carly;
- Fellow floral picks Daisy, Rose and Iris.
Kat says
April 25, 2009 at 4:03 AMYes. I wanted to use this name, but got pooh-poohed by not only my husband but my mother-in-law, who claimed it sounded “unfinished”. Sad, because I think I could have been fine with Call; whereas now my girls name list has gotten out of control (almost 45 names being considered) as I try to find one I like equally well.
And we ARE having a girl…found out last week! 🙂
This is wonderful, but WE’RE NEVER GOING TO DECIDE ON A NAME!! 🙁
Laney McDonald says
April 25, 2009 at 6:47 AMCongrats Kat! It is so much fun raising a little girl. Good Luck!
Kat says
April 27, 2009 at 1:14 AMThank you so much! We are excited.
photoquilty says
April 25, 2009 at 12:41 AMEmmy, you do like seerious names, don’t you?
Emmy Jo says
April 27, 2009 at 5:01 AMI suppose I do. I had never thought of my names as so serious before — more like literary or historical or substantial. And some of them, like Clara and Wesley, seem very light and happy to me.
To me, names like Helen and Alice feel very serious. I guess I always thought my girls’ names at least felt more soft and feminine, which kept them from sounding overly serious.
But if my only complaint against names like Calla is that they feel rather insubstantial, maybe I do like my names to be a bit more serious. I guess it depends on where someone draws the “serious” line.
appellationmountain says
April 27, 2009 at 12:42 PMCONGRATS, Kat! What fabulous news. I know we’re all on pins’n’needles waiting to hear what name you choose. (And that you and your darling daughter are well, of course. But then the name!) 🙂
Emmy Jo says
April 24, 2009 at 6:54 AMCalla is gorgeous! I don’t think it’s one I’d use personally — photoquilty has said I tend to like “serious” names and Calla is definitely less substantial than similar Clara or even Violet or Iris. But it’s oh-so-pretty and it’s a great alternative to tons of more common girls’ names.
Jennifer (The Fuss) says
April 23, 2009 at 4:07 PMCalla made my long list for dd#2, but ultimately got axed due to its similarity to Kaylie/Kayla/Kaylen/Kaden etc. It’s a beautiful botanical, but I think it would just get lost among the trendoid K’s.
Julia says
April 23, 2009 at 1:09 PMI love botanicals, but she’s in nickname territory for me. Would use her as a nickname for Calliope in a flash (yes, I am blatantly copying whoever suggested that on the Calliope NOTD post…)
SophieGray says
April 23, 2009 at 9:07 AMMm- I can’t make up my mind about Calla. She just feels way to insubstantial to me, nn territory, as Lola expressed. As a nn for Calliope or Calista or something similar, she’d be lovely, and I wouldn’t oppose to meeting her in real life, but she’s a little too flimsy for me!
Holey says
April 23, 2009 at 4:15 AMI’ve been seeing a lot of positive mentions of this name recently. To me it seems almost as flimsy as Ella – though more dignified than Kaylie. The flower association gives it a bit more weight – but it also puts me in mind of the Freudian interpretation of calla lilies, which would definitely put me off using it as a name.
Christina Fonseca says
April 23, 2009 at 3:46 AMI was a calla-carrying bride, I have hand-crafted calla lilies on my bedside table and I have often admired Rivera’s extensive portrayal of calla lilies; yet I did not consider Calla a name until a few months ago.
I agree with Verity that
Laney McDonald says
April 22, 2009 at 5:40 PMI love Calla, both as a given name and as a nickname for Calista. I agree with photoquilty that it’s alot better than Ella, Bella, Kayla and Kaylee. It’s so rare, but pretty. Calla and Iris or Calla and Ivy would make awesome sibling names. Calla and Daphne would be even more awesome.
My only issue with this name is that people will constantly mispronounce it. It is pronounced CAL-ah, but I’ve also heard CAY-la and CALL-ah.
Lola says
April 22, 2009 at 7:07 PMI like Calla very much, but I’m firmly in “As a nickname” territory. Too many flowers already in my family for me to want to intentially introduce yet another up front. I could appease the masses by choosing something like the aforementioned Callista (Calypso would be more my inner Hippy’s speed) and nicknaming her Calla, though.
I would not, in the least, mind meeting a little one (or more) with this as a full name. beats Kaylie and is more elegant than Callie, which I have seen as a standalone, sadly.
Calla’s pretty, sweet and all girly. I like it a lot. laney, i’ve never heard anyone say anothing other than Cal-lah, but that may be because I’m near Boston. In NJ I might have heard CAY-la for Calla but not up here!
Calla gets a solid :thumbsup: from me! She’s great!
photoquilty says
April 22, 2009 at 4:45 PMI like this a lot. I think it’s a pretty name and definitely stands up better than flimsy Ella, Bella, Kayla, and Kaylee.