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 [ 3 syll. al-fon-so, alf-o-nso ] The boy name Alfonso is pronounced as AELFAANSow KEY. Alfonso is an English, Italian, and Spanish name of Gothic origin. The name's meaning is noble and ready. Derived from the elements 'adal' meaning noble, honorable + 'ala' meaning all + 'hadu' meaning struggle + 'hild' meaning battle, fight + 'funs' meaning ready. Adalfuns (Germanic), Hadufuns (Germanic), Hildefons (Gothic), and Hildefonso (Old Spanish) are old forms of Alfonso. The name is of disputed origin. The first element of the name could be 'adal' (noble, honorable), or else 'ala' (all), hadu', or 'hild' (battle, fight), while the second element is 'funs' (ready). It is possible that various distinct Visigothic names have been merged into one. The name was borne in the 9th century by Saint Alphonsus the bishop of Astorga, and in the 19th century by Saint Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787), an Italian bishop regarded as a Doctor of the Church. It was also borne by more than ten kings of Portugal and ancient Spain from the 7th to the 14th century, including King Alfonso I of Asturias (693-757), who played a key role in establishing Christianity in Spain. The name consequently grew in popularity. It is today common among Spanish-speakers in the USA. The name Alphonsus is also used an Anglicized form of the Gaelic name Anluan, which could be of a second element meaning 'warrior' or 'hound'. The name Alfonsina (Italian) is the female equivalent of Alfonso. Alfonso has 27 variants that are used in both English and other languages. Variants of Alfonso used in English include Alfie (used in Spanish too), Alfonsus (used in Latin too), Alphonse (used in French too), Alphonzo, Lon, and Lonnie. Other English forms include the short form Fons, the pet forms Fonsie, Fonz, and Fonzie, and the variant spelling Alfonzo (used in Spanish too). Foreign variants of Alfonso include Affonso (Portuguese), Afonso (Galician and Portuguese), Alfio (Italian), Alfo (Spanish), Alfons (Dutch, German, and Polish), Alfonz (Slavic), Alonso (Italian and Spanish), Alonzo (Italian and Spanish), Alphonso (Italian and Spanish), Alphonsus (Irish and Latinized), Fonzi (Spanish), Fonzo (Spanish), Lanzo (Italian and German), and Lonzo (Spanish). Specific foreign forms include the short form Fonso (Spanish), and the variant spelling Alphons (German). See also the related form, Ildefonso (Spanish). Alfonso is a classic favorite. Currently it is still fairly popular as a baby name for boys, though not to the extent it was before. At the modest peak of its usage in 1930, 0.033% of baby boys were given the name Alfonso. It ranked at #295 then. The baby name has since experienced a fall in popularity, and is of occasional use in recent years. In 2008, its usage was 0.020% and its ranking #585, but it was nonetheless the 2nd most popular after Alonzo (Italian and Spanish), out of all boy names in its group. In 2008, it was used 12% more than Alfonso. Baby names that sound like Alfonso include Alphonso (Italian and Spanish), Albinek (Czech and Polish), Alfonsus (English and Latin), Alfonzo (English and Spanish), Alphonsus (Irish and Latinized), Alphonzo (English), Albins (Latvian), Alfons (Dutch, German, and Polish), Alfonz (Slavic), Alphons (German), and Alphonse (English and French). KEY: Pronunciation for Alfonso: AE as in "at (AE.T)" ; L as in "lee (L.IY)" ; F as in "fee (F.IY)" ; AA as in "odd (AA.D)" ; N as in "knee (N.IY)" ; S as in "sea (S.IY)" ; OW as in "oat (OW.T)"   |
