- Origin: English
- Gender: Female
The name Apple is taken directly from the English word for the fruit — a symbol of beauty, love, temptation, and knowledge in Western tradition.
The word itself comes from Old English æppel, ultimately derived from Proto-Germanic aplaz, which originally meant any kind of fruit rather than specifically the apple. Cognates appear throughout the Germanic family — Apfel (German), appel (Dutch), äpple (Swedish) — making it one of the oldest recorded words in those languages.
As a given name, Apple belongs to the small but enduring tradition of English word names, especially those tied to nature, purity, or symbolic meaning. It has been in use in the Philippines since the 1960s, long before Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin decided to bestow this on their daughter in 2004.
Though it has been used as a given-name until recently, foreign cognates have been used since Medieval times, such as Pomona (a Roman goddess), Poma (Italian), Pomme (French) and Pomeline.
It may have also been occasionally used as a diminutive form of Apollonia or Apolline.
Sweet, simple, and loaded with myth — Apple is a name that turns something ordinary into a symbol of beauty and curiosity. It bridges innocence and rebellion, Eden and the avant-garde.
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