There are two versions regarding the origin of the word Ballouneh, either deriving from the Syriac word ballani/ballana meaning bath or pertaining to the Greek name of the god Apollo.
Born in Baakline to a Druze family, he was according to some accounts raised by Sheikh Ibrahim Abou Sakr, a prominent Maronite from the Khazen family, in the Lebanese village of Ballouneh.