Calliope
Calliope is a girls' name of Greek origin meaning “beautiful voice.” It ranked #451 in the United States in 2025. Calliope was the chief of the nine Muses in Greek mythology, presiding over epic poetry and eloquence.
how do you pronounce Calliope?
kah-LY-oh-pee
Hear it spoken aloud with our AI pronunciation tool.
what does Calliope mean?
The name Calliope means “beautiful voice.” It comes from the Greek language tradition.
Calliope was the chief of the nine Muses in Greek mythology, presiding over epic poetry and eloquence. She was said to be Homer's inspiration for the Iliad and Odyssey, making her name synonymous with the highest form of artistic expression and creativity.
where does the name Calliope come from?
Wiktionary and Wikipedia agree Calliope comes from Greek Καλλιόπη, combining a word for beautiful and one for voice, literally beautiful-voiced. In Greek mythology she is the Muse who presides over eloquence and epic poetry; Wikipedia notes Hesiod and Ovid called her the Chief of all Muses, though the sources here don't specifically connect her to inspiring Homer's Iliad and Odyssey.
the history of Calliope
Wiktionary notes Calliope was also adopted as a scientific name by an English ornithologist in 1836, though this refers to a naming convention rather than to the personal given name's own history of use.
how popular is this name?
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 2025 | #451 |
| 2024 | #499 |
| 2023 | #493 |
| 2022 | #588 |
| 2021 | #600 |
| 2020 | #692 |
Source: SSA National Baby Names Dataset
what are the nicknames and variants of Calliope?
Nicknames
Variants around the world
who are famous people named Calliope?
- Calliope Torres (character on Grey's Anatomy)
- Calliope (steam-powered musical instrument on riverboats)
what names are similar to Calliope?
what names go well with Calliope?
Sibling names that share Calliope's rhythm and register without echoing it too closely.
Last reviewed April 30, 2026 · Curated by HushName editorial
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