SpanishFilipino6 syllables
Meaning: of Apollo.
Apolinario
| Origin | Spanish form of Latin Apollinaris, brought to the Philippines by Spanish missionaries |
|---|---|
| Meaning | Of Apollo, dedicated to Apollo. Latin Apollinaris, an adjective from the god's name Apollō, whose own origin is disputed |
| Pronunciation | ah-poh-lee-NAH-ree-oh, six syllables, stress on the fourth |
| Popularity | Outside the current U.S. top 100; a great-grandfather's name in the Philippines and largely retired in Spain |
| Variants | Apolinar (Spanish), Apollinaris (Latin), Apollinaire (French), Apollinare (Italian), Apolinary (Polish) |
| Nicknames | Polo, Poli, Nario — Philippine usage clips long Spanish names hard |
| Famous bearer | Apolinario Mabini, first prime minister of the Philippines |
History & meaning
Here is a name that changed sides. Apollinaris was a Roman adjective meaning "belonging to Apollo" — the Ludi Apollinares were games held in the god's honour — and it survived the end of paganism by attaching itself to Christians. The most durable was Saint Apollinaris of Ravenna, the city's first bishop and a martyr, whose basilica at Classe still stands. Spanish turned the Latin into Apolinario, and the Catholic habit of naming a child for the saint whose feast fell near the birth kept it in circulation for centuries.
The Philippines received it that way, through the friars, as part of the same Spanish-colonial name stock that supplied Gregorio, Emilio and Benigno — a separate stratum from native Tagalog names such as Bayani and Dakila, and one reason Filipino naming has to be described in two halves. Then history gave the name a Filipino owner. Apolinario Mabini wrote the constitutional programme of the revolutionary government of 1898–99 while unable to walk, and no Filipino now hears the name without hearing him.
Why parents choose it
Almost nobody chooses it cold. It is picked for the man, or for a grandfather named after the man, and its six syllables are part of the point — this is a name with ceremony in it, best used at full length on documents and clipped to Polo everywhere else.
Middle names for Apolinario
Six syllables need a short partner and nothing else will do: Apolinario Jose, Apolinario Luis, Apolinario Cruz, Apolinario Juan. The middle names guide covers long-first-name strategy in full.
Famous Apolinarios
Apolinario Mabini (1864–1903) served as prime minister and foreign minister under Emilio Aguinaldo and was exiled to Guam by the Americans; he is called the Brains of the Revolution and the Sublime Paralytic. Apolinario de la Cruz, known as Hermano Pule, founded the Cofradía de San José and was executed in 1841 after the brotherhood was suppressed. The French poet Guillaume Apollinaire took his pen name from his own baptismal names, Wilhelm Albert Apollinaris de Kostrowitzky.
Consider instead
For the revolutionary generation in a shorter package, Emilio was Aguinaldo's name and works easily in English. Gregorio belongs to Del Pilar, the boy general of Tirad Pass. Or step across to the native layer: Bayani is simply the Tagalog word for what Mabini was.