THE MEANING & THE CONTEXT
The story behind Puli
Puli is recorded as a male given name in Tagalog. Its lexical definition links this spelling with the longer name or names Apolinario as a short or familiar form.
The etymology is not settled. The explanation above keeps the source’s uncertainty rather than assigning a definite meaning.
Pronunciation & syllables
Dictionary readings are kept by language. Select the reading that matches your intended pronunciation. Dots show the source’s written divisions; they are not a universal syllable count across languages.
Tagalog
- /puˈli/Standard-Tagalog
- [pʊˈlɪ]Standard-Tagalog
- /puˈliʔ/Standard-Tagalog
- [pʊˈlɪʔ]Standard-Tagalog
Pu · li2 source divisions
Dictionary reading & contributors ↗Wiktionary contributors / Kaikki / Wiktextract · CC BY-SA 4.0
Origin and name formation
Language-specific accounts from the dictionary. A shared spelling can have more than one history.
TagalogEtymology & source
Borrowed from Spanish Poli, diminutive of Apolinario.
a diminutive of the male given name Apolinario
Adapted from Wiktionary contributors via Kaikki/Wiktextract. Source accounts remain in their original English; editorial summaries and filters are adapted. Attribution and downloads
PSA · OFFICIAL BIRTH RECORDS
Puli in the birth records
Exact spelling, stated year, published top-ten tables. Read the counts as individual snapshots.
Available publications: 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024. No 2021 count is inferred. Sex categories follow the official tables, independently of dictionary gender labels. Explore the official tables →
Related forms & spellings
Related forms may have their own language histories. They are not included in this spelling’s PSA count.
Similar names to Puli
Names with a similar opening or ending, ordered by spelling distance. Similar spelling does not imply the same meaning or origin.
Names in this collection
- Puti·Recorded Philippine given-name form
- Pulot·Recorded Philippine given-name form
- Pura·Recorded Philippine given-name form
- Publeo·Recorded Philippine given-name form
- Puddih·Recorded Philippine given-name form
- Puring♀Short form of Purita and Purificacion
- Purita♀Name formation documented in dictionary sources
- Puyat·Recorded Philippine given-name form
What rhymes with Puli?
Matches share a dictionary-supplied rhyme key in the stated language. Check the recorded reading; another language or accent can change the rhyme.
Explore Puli further
Follow the sources
- Wiktionary contributors — Puli (Tagalog) (opens in a new tab)
Explicit given-name sense and separately attributed etymology; no birth-frequency claim.