Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Alfonso

Alfonso was adopted by the Italians and Spanish from a Visigoths who occupied both Italy and Spain during certain periods of history. In fact, it was the Visigoths who successfully sacked Rome in 410 A.D. and shortly thereafter set up camp in Spain and Portugal. This is how the ancient Italians and Spanish/Portuguese became exposed to names of Germanic origin. Alfonso is derivative of the Germanic Adalfuns from the elements “adal” meaning “noble” and “funs” meaning “ready”. Concurrently, Alfonso may have also developed from another ancient Germanic masculine name Hildefons from the elements “hild” meaning “battle” and “funs” meaning “ready” (i.e., “ready for battle”). Alfonso was one of the most prominent names on the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages having been borne by several medieval rulers of various Spanish kingdoms such as Asturias, León, Castile and Aragon. Furthermore, Afonso I of Portugal is notable for being the very first King of Portugal (1109-1185) – he established himself as ruler after a battle against his mother and step-father and then gradually declared Portugal independent from the Kingdom of León. Afonso then successfully reconquered additional territory from the occupying Moors after a relentless 46 year war (it's fair to say that this Afonso was indeed “ready for battle”!). In case you’re wondering, this is not a typo: Afonso (without the “L”) is the Portuguese version of Alfonso. It is also a Top 10 boy’s name in Portugal today. Alfonso is only moderately popular in Spain, and even less so among Spanish-speakers of other nations. Fonzie is a possible nickname.

All About the Baby Name – Alfonso

Personality

OF THE BOY NAME ALFONSO

The number one personality is a leader - strong and competitive. They are willing to initiate action and take risks. One personalities work hard toward their endeavors and have the ability to apply their creative and innovative thinking skills with strong determination. They believe in their ability to succeed and are too stubborn to be hindered by obstacles. Ones meet obstacles head-on with such mental vigor and energy that you better step aside. They resent taking orders, so don't try telling them what to do either. This is an intensely active personality, but they are also known as starters rather than finishers. They have a propensity to become bored and will move quickly to the next project if not properly challenged.  They are the ones to think up and put into action new and brilliant ideas, but they are not the ones to stick around and manage them. This personality has an enthusiastic and pioneering spirit. They are distinctly original.

Popularity

OF THE BOY NAME ALFONSO

Alfonso has existed on the male naming charts since at least the late 19th century The name has also enjoyed fairly consistent usage, although never anything beyond mild moderation. It just pretty much hung out on the Top 400 or 500 list of most commonly used boy names. Its peak popularity was achieved in 1929 at position #294 on the charts. In the earlier part of the 20th century, Alfonso was probably a name shared among American parents of both Italian and Hispanic descent, but prolonged usage of this name is owed almost entirely to the Hispanic-American population (which has been growing fairly dramatically in the past 50 years). Alfonso was able to maintain fairly respectable usage up until the 21st century. In the past 10+ years, Alfonso has dropped a meaningful 300+ positions on the charts, suggesting that the name is falling from favor among even Spanish-speaking Americans. As the Hispanic-American culture moves on to the second and third generations, younger parents are rejecting their ancestral name choices more in keeping with the Americanized naming fashions of the day. Too bad. We hate to see Italian/Spanish charmers like Alfonso lose their luster. Plus, this “noble and ready” name is a Number One in numerology which also happens to be a “battle ready” personality. How apropos.

Quick Facts

ON ALFONSO

GENDER:

Boy

ORIGIN:

Italian

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

3

RANKING POPULARITY:

782

PRONUNCIATION:

ahl-FON-so

SIMPLE MEANING:

Nobel and Ready; Battle ready

Characteristics

OF ALFONSO

Independent

Individualistic

Ambitious

Strong-willed

Inventive

Successful

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Alfonso

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME ALFONSO

We cannot find any significant literary characters by the name of Alfonso

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME ALFONSO

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Alfonso


Popular Songs

ON ALFONSO

We cannot find any popular or well-known songs with the name of Alfonso


Famous People

NAMED ALFONSO

Alfonso Soriano (baseball player)
Alfonso Ribiero (actor)
Alfonso (several monarchs on the Iberian Peninsula from the Middle Ages to modern times)

Children of Famous People

NAMED ALFONSO

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Alfonso

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME ALFONSO

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Alfonso