Apostolis (Greek Αποστόλης) is a masculine Greek given name and a modern variant of Apostolos (Απόστολος). Its underlying Greek noun meant an envoy or messenger and acquired the specifically Christian sense apostle. “Messenger” or “one sent” therefore explains the name's etymology; it does not describe a modern bearer's occupation or status.
Meaning and Language History
The source word is Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (apóstolos). The Liddell–Scott–Jones Greek-English Lexicon glosses the noun as “messenger, ambassador, envoy.” It is connected with ἀποστέλλειν, “to send”; the modern verb αποστέλλω still means sending a person or thing to a particular place for a purpose in the Dictionary of Standard Modern Greek.
The familiar English word apostle represents the word's religious development, especially its use for commissioned messengers in early Christianity. It is a valid translation of the name's source, but it is narrower than the older lexical range. For that reason, “messenger,” “envoy,” “one sent,” and “apostle” may all appear in reliable explanations of the name without necessarily contradicting one another.
Apostolis and Apostolos
The Greek forms differ in both ending and stress:
- Αποστόλης — Apostolis, approximately ah-po-STO-lees; IPA /a.po.ˈsto.lis/
- Απόστολος — Apostolos, approximately ah-PO-sto-los; IPA /a.ˈpo.sto.los/
The accent marks in Greek show the stressed syllable. The Greek state's Centre for the Greek Language lists Απόστολος/Αποστόλης together in its Greek-English teaching glossary, while the specialist name reference Behind the Name classifies Apostolis as a variant of Apostolos. This supports treating them as forms of the same name family.
“Variant” is safer than assuming a universal formal-versus-nickname rule. One bearer may use Apostolis socially and Apostolos in official records, while another may be registered as Apostolis. The two forms should therefore be recorded exactly as the person or document gives them rather than silently substituted.
Religious Context and Name Day
Christian usage is central to the name's history. Oxford's Dictionary of American Family Names explains that Greek apostolos was adopted in early Christian usage in reference to Christ's apostles and traces the word to the idea of a messenger or one sent with a message.
Behind the Name lists 30 June as the Greek name day for Apostolis. That date is the Greek Orthodox Synaxis of the Twelve Holy Apostles. The association helps explain the name's religious setting, but it does not prove why a particular family chose it or establish anything about a bearer's beliefs.
Romanization and Record Forms
Apostolis is a Latin-alphabet rendering of Αποστόλης, not a separate English etymology. Romanization conventions can produce different-looking forms. For example, the ALA-LC Modern Greek table renders Greek η as ē, so a library catalogue following that system may show Apostolēs. Greek passport services instead use the ELOT 743 system, which is equivalent to ISO 843, as the Hellenic Police passport authority explains.
In personal and family records, the spelling printed on the document is more reliable evidence of identity than a preferred modern transliteration. Apostol, used in Bulgarian, Macedonian, and Romanian, is a related form recorded by Behind the Name, but it should not automatically be treated as the same recorded name.
Given Name, Surname, and Genealogy
This entry describes Apostolis as a given name. A closely related form can also occur as a family name: Patrick Hanks's Oxford dictionary records Apostolos as a Greek surname derived from the personal name or, in some cases, as a reduced form of longer patronymic surnames such as Apostolakis, Apostolidis, Apostoliadis, and Apostolatos. It separately explains Apostolou as the genitive of Apostolos used patronymically.
Those surname formations share a linguistic base, but they are not interchangeable, and they do not show that their bearers descend from one family. Etymology explains the words and name forms; genealogy requires evidence connecting specific people across records.
References
- Centre for the Greek Language. ΚΛΙΚ στα ελληνικά: Γλωσσάρι ελληνο-αγγλικό, επίπεδο Α1. English title: Klik sta Ellinika: Greek-English Glossary, Level A1. Edited by Maria Chriti and Katerina Pranentsi; Ziti Editions. PDF.
- Centre for the Greek Language. Dictionary of Standard Modern Greek. Institute for Modern Greek Studies, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 1998. Entry for αποστέλλω.
- Hanks, Patrick, ed. Dictionary of American Family Names. Volume 1, Oxford University Press, 2003, entries “Apostol,” “Apostolos,” and “Apostolou.” Publisher preview.
- Liddell, Henry George; Robert Scott; Henry Stuart Jones; and Roderick McKenzie. A Greek-English Lexicon. 9th ed., Clarendon Press, 1940. Scaife ATLAS entry for ἀπόστολος.
- Library of Congress. ALA-LC Romanization Tables: Modern Greek (after 1453), 2010. PDF.
- Hellenic Police Passport Directorate. “Greek Letter Transcription Based on ELOT 743 Standard.” Official converter and standard note.
- Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia. “Synaxis of the Twelve Holy Apostles.” Saints and Feasts, 30 June.
- Campbell, Mike. “Apostolis.” Behind the Name, updated 30 May 2025. Name entry.