Given name & surname
Apollonia
“a gift from the god Apollo”
Apollonia is used as a given name and a surname. One Greek interpretation is “a gift from the god Apollo.” Its derivation is not certain.
Original Ancient GreekἈπολλωνία
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Greek interpretation is “a gift from the god Apollo.” Its derivation is not certain.
Where it comes from
A possible origin is Greek, although the derivation remains uncertain.
How it developed
Apollonia is a feminine form of Apollonios. In French usage, Apollonia developed from Ἀπολλωνία.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1895. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. In German use, Apollonia is a variant of Abel. The history of Abel gives this family its wider story. Abel has a place in biblical naming traditions.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Apollonia through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 718
- 0 boys · 718 girls
- Most popular year
- 1985
- 67 babies
- 2025
- 28
- #4,770 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +25%
- Rising
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 28 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 4,770 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 24.7% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 67 in 1985. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 588 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Apollonia’s family of names
In German usage, Apollonia has a short form in Abel. Apollonia has a later derivative in Abelone. In English usage, Apollonia has a conventional equivalent in the Polish form APOLONIA.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Apollonia has relatives in 11 languages. Lines run from its Ancient Greek roots to each of them.
Ancient Greekwhere Apollonia comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 10
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Abelshort form · German
- Apollinevariant · French
- Appollonialikely variant
- Appaloniavariant · English
- Apollonievariant · French
- Appolinevariant
- Appolinavariant
- Apollinarisvariant
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Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 11
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Ἀπολλωνίαroot · Ancient Greek
- ApoloniaPolish
- АполлонияRussian
- ApolôniaPortuguese
- ApolóniaPortuguese
- ApollóniaHungarian
- ApolenaCzech
- Abelonederivative · Danish
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See also 4
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Apollonia
- Saint ApolloniaChristian female saint and martyr150–249
- Margarete Steifffoundress of Margarete Steiff GmbH in Germany1847–1909
- Apollonia KoteroAmerican singer and actress (born 1959)
- Apollonia MathiaSouth Sudanese journalist and activist1950–2011
- Apollonia van RavensteinDutch actorborn 1952
- Apollonia RadermecherGerman nun (1571–1626)
Characters named Apollonia: Apollonia Vitelli-Corleone (The Godfather series).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
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