In historical times, Kalix was the name of the court district (Swedish:
domsaga) Kalix Lower Court District. It covered two
parishes: Nederkalix and Överkalix (literally
Lower Kalix and
Upper Kalix, respectively). The
chalice on the
coat of arms was present in the Nederkalix coat of arms in 1800, and was incorporated into that of Kalix Municipality in 1989. The choice of symbol originates from the similarity between the Latin root of chalice,
calix, mug (itself borrowed from Greek kalyx, κάλυξ, shell, husk) and the local
Sami pronunciation of
Gáláseatnu, an ancient name for the
Kalix River. ==Localities==