The name has been causing raised eyebrows with some family members but Ryan and I do not care. Apollo has been a name that we have chosen for more than a year now, even when we were choosing a name for our first baby, Joaquin. We are so excited because now everyone knows he is little Apollo! :)
Apollo
I got the name Apollo from watching on TV the Olypic gold medalist speed skater Apolo Ohno (spelled with only one L) in theWorld speed skating championship. Aside from the fact that he is such a hottie (haha), he is Asian and he is so good at what he does. And he is the only famous person and non-famous person I know who has the name Apolo. Ever since the name stick to me.
I also like the Greek Mythology meaning of the name Apollo.
Apollo is one of the most important and diverse of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology. The ideal of the kouros (a beardless, athletic youth), Apollo has been variously recognized as a god of light and the sun; truth and prophecy; medicine, healing, and plague; music, poetry, and the arts; and more. Apollo is the son of Zeus and Leto, and has a twin sister, the chaste huntress Artemis. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo)
Απολλων
Ryan, on the other hand also thought of Apollo Creed, the fictional character from the movie Rocky IV, who portrayed the world boxing champion who fought against Rocky Balboa. Hey, maybe our little Apollo could be a handsome greek god who can will one day become a speed skater or boxer haha.
Raphael
The name Raphael, on the other hand is a Hebrew name meaning "God has healed." Raphael is traditionally one of the seven archangels. He is mentioned by name in the apocryphal book of Tobit.
Raphael is also the name used when referring to Renaissance Italian painter Raphael Santi or Sanzio. One of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was named after him - this is Ryan's favorite reference of the name haha.
There really is no significant event why we chose the name Raphael, but we both love the sound of it and it goes well with the name Apollo.
Beautiful name choices. I certainly was a TMNT fan as a kid, although I liked Donatello best. ;-)
ReplyDelete"God has healed"... your sweet little family experienced great grief with the loss of Joaquin. I think you have chosen an excellent name to help remember that God has healed your family, and blessed you with little Apollo Raphael. :-)