Given name & surname
Alphonso
“prepared for battle; eager and ready”
Alphonso is a variant of Alfonso. One Italian interpretation is “prepared for battle; eager and ready.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Alphonso is a variant of Alfonso. One Italian interpretation is “prepared for battle; eager and ready.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Alphonso is a variant of Alfonso. A possible origin is Germanic, although the derivation remains uncertain.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Alphonso through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 15,214
- 15,187 boys · 27 girls
- Most popular year
- 1962
- 319 babies
- 2025
- 21
- #4,712 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −27%
- Easing
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 21 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 4,712 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 27.4% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 319 in 1962. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 7,754 as a first name in 2020; 848 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Alphonso’s family of names
In English usage, Alphonso has a diminutive in Fonzi. Alphonso has a related form in Alfonso. In English usage, Alphonso has a conventional equivalent in the Portuguese form Alfonso.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Alphonso has relatives in 6 languages.
6 related names in 6 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 9
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- AlonzoItalian
- AlonsoPortuguese
- Alphonsusequivalent
- Alphonzoequivalent
- Alphonsequivalent
- AlfonsGerman
- Elphonsoequivalent
- Альфонсоborrowing · Russian
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People named Alphonso
- Alphonso DaviesCanadian soccer playerborn 2000
- Alphonso TaftAmerican diplomat (1810–1891)
- Alphonso JohnsonAmerican musicianborn 1951
- Alphonso FordAmerican basketball player (1971-2004)
- Alphonso WoodAmerican botanist (1810-1881)
- Alphonso Jackson13th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Developmentborn 1945
- Alphonso McAuleyAmerican actorborn 1984
- Alphonso LingisAmerican philosopher (1933-2025)
- Alphonso Lisk-CarewSierra Leonean photographer (1887–1969)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Alphonso, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Alfonzo
“prepared for battle; eager and ready”
>99% boys
Arnie
“resembling an eagle” · “the eagle ruler”
>99% boys
Andree
“manliness” · “virility”
93% boys · 7% girls
Art
“strong as a bear”
>99% boys
Ernie
“one who is sincere and determined; serious”
>99% boys
Reinaldo
“the king's advisor”
>99% boys
Darvin
“a beloved friend”
>99% boys
Daron
“the great one” · “from a small rocky hill”
>99% boys