Apelahama as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Apelahama

What is the meaning of the name Apelahama ?

The baby name Apelahama is a Male name , 5 syllables long and is pronounced /a.pe.la.'ha.ma/ (ah-peh-LAH-ma).

Apelahama is Polynesian in Origin.

Apelahama is the Hawaiian transliteration of the biblical name Abraham, adapted to the Hawaiian sound system (b to p, r to l, and preference for open syllables), hence A-pe-la-ha-ma. It ultimately derives from the Hebrew Avraham, explained in Genesis 17:5 as "father of a multitude," from av "father" + hamon "multitude." The earlier form Abram meant "exalted father," later expanded to Abraham in the covenant narrative.

Adopted in the 19th century as Christianity spread in the Hawaiian Kingdom, Apelahama appears in the Hawaiian-language Baibala Hemolele and in baptismal and census records; it remains uncommon but culturally recognizable. Related and variant forms include Abraham (English and international), Avraham (Hebrew), Ibrahim (Arabic), Abram (earlier biblical form), Aperahama (Māori), and Aperaamo (Samoan). The name carries associations of leadership, faith, lineage, and promise, while the Hawaiian form lends it a distinct local cadence and identity.

⚙ We can't find Apelahama in any of the birth registries or name datasets we track. Most often that means a rare name, a regional or heritage one, or a recent coinage. By any reading, it's an exceptionally uncommon choice.