Apollos
A masculine name derived from the Greek god Apollo.
Name Census estimates that about 204 living Americans carry the first name Apollos. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Apollos today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Apollos births was 2023 (24 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Apollos. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
204
~ 1 in 1,680,168 Americans
Peak year
2023
24 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,883
Tracked since 1987
Popularity
Apollos: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Apollos from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 98 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Apollos by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Apollos during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Apollos
The name Apollos is of Greek origin and has its roots in the ancient Greek language and culture. It is derived from the name of the Greek god Apollo, who was associated with the sun, music, poetry, and healing. The name Apollos is believed to have emerged during the classical period of ancient Greece, around the 5th century BCE.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Apollos can be found in the New Testament of the Bible. In the Book of Acts, Apollos is mentioned as a Jewish Christian who was an eloquent preacher and had a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He is described as a native of Alexandria, a city known for its rich cultural and intellectual heritage.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Apollos. One of the most famous was Apollos of Tyana, a Neopythagorean philosopher who lived in the 1st century CE. He was renowned for his wisdom, eloquence, and alleged ability to perform miracles, leading some to compare him to Jesus Christ.
Another notable figure named Apollos was a 4th-century CE philosopher and grammarian from Alexandria. He is best known for his work on the Greek language and his commentaries on Homer's Iliad and Odyssey.
In the 9th century CE, Apollos of Naucratis was a Greek mathematician and geographer who lived in Egypt. He is credited with designing and constructing the first known planispheric astrolabe, an instrument used for observing and predicting the positions of celestial bodies.
In the realm of literature, Apollos Atheniensis was a Greek tragedian who lived in the 5th century BCE. He is believed to have written numerous plays, although only a few fragments of his works have survived.
During the Renaissance period, Apollos Revennatis was an Italian humanist and scholar who lived in the 15th century. He was known for his translations of ancient Greek texts and his contributions to the revival of classical learning in Europe.
While the name Apollos may not be as common today as it was in ancient times, it continues to carry a rich cultural heritage and historical significance, reflecting the enduring influence of Greek mythology and philosophy on Western civilization.
People
Apollos + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Apollos as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Apollos: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Apollos?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 204 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Apollos going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,680,168 US residents.
Is Apollos a common name?
We classify Apollos as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 206 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Apollos most popular?
The single biggest year for Apollos was 2023, when 24 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Apollos is about 9 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Apollos in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Apollos a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Apollos in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Apollos still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Apollos in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Apollos can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Apollos?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.