This is the 8425th most frequent Russian word.
называли
"Called" or "referred to."
The word 'называли' is used to indicate how others referred to this individual.
Этого человека называли настоящим героем.
This person was called a true hero.
Here, 'называли' conveys the idea of how someone addressed or referred to us, often in a teasing manner.
В детстве нас часто называли дразнилыми именами.
In childhood, we were often called teasing names.
In this context, 'называли' is used to describe what people in ancient times referred to certain stars as.