Apollo
Apollo was the 445th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 708 babies. Its best year was 2022, when it ranked 389th with 820 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 304 places. More babies were named Apollo in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning Origin uncertain · Greek
Say it uh-POL-oh /əˈpɑloʊ/
- Rank in 2025
- #445 boys, up 3 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 708boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2022820 babies
- Total since 1880
- 9,012babies recorded
What does the name Apollo mean?
Apollo is the Greek and Roman god of light, music, poetry, prophecy and healing, son of Zeus and Leto. The origin of the Greek name Apollōn is unknown; it is thought to be pre-Greek, and links with Greek words for "destroy" or for an assembly are speculative. The Random House dictionary and Wiktionary both record the god. As a boy's name it is recent in the US, also recalling the Apollo moon program.
Ἀπόλλων (Ancient Greek, “Apollo”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. Origin of the god's name unknown.
Other explanations you may read: means 'destroyer'.
Related names: Apollon, Apolo.
See also: Greek names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Apollo', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'Apollo', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
Apollo popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 12 since 2020.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #445 | 708 |
| 2020 | #448 | 666 |
| 2010 | #1,241 | 142 |
| 2000 | #4,801 | 15 |
| 1990 | #2,869 | 22 |
| 1980 | #2,218 | 23 |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Apollo, counting every spelling?
Apollo is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #436 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #445 for Apollo on its own. Together these spellings went to 733 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apollo | 708 | #445 | 3,814 |
| Apolo | 25 | #4,145 | 96 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Apollo?
708 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Apollo (0.20 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Apollo born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 12 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Apollo.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Apollo?
About 8,900 people born in the US named Apollo are alive today, with a median age of 6; half are between 4 and 11. That makes Apollo a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Apollo by state
How common Apollo was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Nevada (2.8×), Colorado (2.0×), Oregon (1.8×), New Mexico (1.8×), Arizona (1.8×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Mississippi, West Virginia, Louisiana.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Apollo: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Apollo, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Apollo · Sibling names for Apollo
Questions about the name Apollo
What does Apollo mean?
The origin of Apollo is uncertain: Origin of the god's name unknown.
How popular is the name Apollo?
Apollo was the 445th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 708 babies. Its best year was 2022, when it ranked 389th with 820 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 304 places. More babies were named Apollo in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Apollo a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Apollo in the US.
Where is Apollo most popular?
In 2021–2025, Apollo was most common in Nevada (1.25 per 1,000 boys), followed by Colorado and Oregon.