Fun Facts About the Name Apollonia
- 718 babies named Apollonia: U.S. records list 718 babies given the name Apollonia from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Apollonia Mean?
Apollonia is a feminine name of Greek origin that means "belonging to Apollo" or "of Apollo." It is the feminine form of the Greek personal name Apollōnios (Ἀπολλώνιος), which was built from Apollōn (Ἀπόλλων), the name of the god Apollo, with a relational suffix. The name identifies its bearer as consecrated to or associated with the god rather than describing a quality or trait.
The origin of the god's own name is uncertain. Ancient writers connected Apollōn to the Greek verb apollymi ("to destroy"), but modern scholars generally treat that link as a folk etymology and consider the god's name likely pre-Greek. That uncertainty applies to Apollo, not to the clear derivation of Apollonia from it.
Apollonia Name History & Origins
Apollonia was used in the Greek-speaking world as the feminine counterpart of Apollōnios, and it was also the name of several ancient Greek cities founded in honor of the god Apollo. Among the best known was Apollonia in Illyria, on the coast of what is now Albania; others stood in Greece, Thrace, and Cyrenaica.
The name's spread through Christian Europe is tied to Saint Apollonia of Alexandria, an elderly deaconess martyred around 249 during the persecution under the emperor Decius. A traditional account preserved in Eusebius's Church History relates that her teeth were broken during her torture and that she threw herself into the fire prepared for her. Because of the teeth, she became the patron saint of dentists and of those suffering from toothache, and her feast day is February 9. Churches and towns were dedicated to her, and the name came into use in Italy, Spain, Portugal, Poland, and German-speaking lands, usually as Apollonia or Apolonia. The French form Apolline is related, and the Latin masculine Apollonius corresponds to Greek Apollōnios.
How Popular is the Name Apollonia?
Apollonia has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1985. Its best rank was #1,435 in 1895.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #4,770 | 28 | 0.0017% |
| 2024 | #6,171 | 19 | 0.0012% |
| 2023 | #5,260 | 24 | 0.0015% |
| 2022 | #5,323 | 24 | 0.0015% |
| 2021 | #5,772 | 21 | 0.0013% |
| 2020 | #5,876 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 2019 | #6,439 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 2018 | #6,550 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 2017 | #6,069 | 20 | 0.0012% |
| 2016 | #6,929 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2015 | #5,301 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 2014 | #8,093 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2013 | #6,038 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 2012 | #6,899 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2011 | #6,168 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 2010 | #9,287 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2009 | #10,052 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2008 | #10,159 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2007 | #11,737 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2006 | #8,290 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2005 | #11,008 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2004 | #11,733 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2002 | #12,327 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2001 | #13,679 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2000 | #10,833 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1999 | #12,845 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1998 | #14,328 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1995 | #9,646 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1994 | #11,900 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1993 | #13,606 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1992 | #5,499 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1991 | #5,418 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1990 | #4,877 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 1989 | #5,856 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1988 | #5,343 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1987 | #3,174 | 29 | 0.0017% |
| 1986 | #2,028 | 53 | 0.0031% |
| 1985 | #1,711 | 67 | 0.0039% |
| 1984 | #3,074 | 28 | 0.0017% |
| 1918 | #3,892 | 7 | 0.0006% |
| 1916 | #3,942 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1915 | #3,450 | 7 | 0.0007% |
| 1895 | #1,435 | 6 | 0.0026% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Apollonia Shapes Your Personality and Life?
Powerful and complete. You are good intellectually and require several outlets for your energies. You are not a builder but a planner, and you want others to carry out your plans. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are seeking freedom, opportunities to enjoy life: to make love, to go places and to do things. You are very adventurous and willing to take risk to achieve your objectives. New ways and new experiences can't satisfy your restless nature. One adventure leads you to another. You are honest and fair, because you know that this is the only way to receive justice and honesty from other people. But your personal growth is vital for you, and it is difficult to be tied down by rules and obligations. Your restless spirit might best controlled by choosing the field of work that meet your demand for action and adventure.
✦ Apollonia's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Apollonia's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.