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Apollo

Greek mythology name
"destroyer; strength; father's light"
Grace Royal
By Grace Royal
Updated Tue Sep 30 2025

Apollo Origin and Meaning

The name Apollo is a boy's name of Greek origin meaning "destroyer; strength; father's light".

With mythological names rising, the handsome son of Zeus and god of medicine, music, and poetry among many other things might offer an interesting, and melodic option. Similar in style to Atlas and Atticus and similar in sound to Arlo, Paolo, Paul, and Ollie, Apollo entered the US Top 1000 back in 2012, and was propelled upwards after it was chosen by Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale in 2014.

The exact source of the name is contested, though it is believed to have either Indo-European roots, giving it the meaning "strength", or to be adapted from the name of another god, Appaliunas, meaning "father's light". Alternatively, it may come from the Greek apollymi meaning "to destroy".

In mythology terms, Apollo was the son of Zeus and Leto, and also the twin of the goddess Artemis. Along with the aforementioned poetry, music, and medicine, he was also considered the god of prophecy, law, beauty, wisdom, and the sun.

Other cool associations include NASA's Apollo program, from 1961-72, that succeeded in putting the first humans on the moon when astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed their lunar module and walked on the moon's surface. There's also the historic Apollo Theatre in Harlem, on whose stage the careers of Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Artetha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, the Supremes, the Jackson 5, and countless others were launched.

In a recent year, it ranked in the Top 800 in England and Wales, while in the US, it placed just outside the Top 400.

# 414 in the US

Apollo Rank in US Top 1000

# 391 on Nameberry

Apollo Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Popularity of the name Apollo

20 Names Similar to Apollo

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Famous People Named Apollo

  • Apollo Korzeniowski
    Polish writer and father of Polish,English novelist Joseph Conrad
  • Apollo Price
    American pro video gamer
  • Apollo Bowie Flynn Rossdale (b. 2014)
    son of singers Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale
  • Apollo Rouvas (b. 2016)
    son of singer Sakis Rouvas and model Katia Zygouli

The name Apollo in Pop Culture

  • Apollo
    Greek God of the sun, prophecy, plagues, healing, medicine, sports, Archery , poetry, young boys, music and the lyre.
  • Apollo Creed
    Rocky Balboa's main rival from the "Rocky" movie series
  • Apollo
    NASA space program
  • Apollo Adama
    main character in Battlestar Galactica tv series
  • Apollo
    character in the Percy Jackson and the Heroes of Olympus and the Trials of Apollo series (Rick Riordan)
  • Apollo
    character in the novel "Goddess of Light" (PC Cast)
  • Apollo Justice
    character in the "Ace Attorney" video game series
  • "Apollo
    " song by Last Dinosaurs
  • Apollo
    a eagle villager from Animal Crossing
  • Apollo
    the main antagonist of Lore Olympus

The name Apollo in Nameberry Blog Posts