Given name & surname
Alphonsus
“prepared for battle; eager and ready”
In Irish use, Alphonsus is a Latinized form of Alfonso. One Italian interpretation is “prepared for battle; eager and ready.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
In Irish use, Alphonsus is a Latinized form of Alfonso. One Italian interpretation is “prepared for battle; eager and ready.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
In Irish use, Alphonsus is a Latinized form of Alfonso. A possible origin is Germanic, although the derivation remains uncertain.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In Irish use, Alphonsus is used as a form of Alfonso.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1883. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Alphonsus through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 454
- 454 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1917
- 28 babies
- 2025
- 7
- #9,767 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +100%
- Rising fast
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 7 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 9,767 among boys’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. Its largest published annual count for boys was 28 in 1917. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 300 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Alphonsus’s family of names
Alphonsus has an affectionate form in Fonsie. Alphonsus has a related form in Alfonso. In Latin usage, Alphonsus has a conventional equivalent in the English form Alfonso.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Alphonsus has relatives in 6 languages. Lines run from its Irish roots to each of them.
5 related names in 6 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 4
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 8
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Alphonsus
- Alphonsus LiguoriItalian Catholic bishop and saint (1696-1787)
- Alphonsus Rodriguez(1532-1617) lay brother and saint
- Alphonsus de Guimaraens(1870-1921) Brazilian writer
- Alphonsus CullinanIrish Roman Catholic bishopborn 1959
- Alphonsus CiacconiusSpanish Dominican scholar (1530–1599)
- Alphonsus Augustus SowadaAmerican priest (1933-2014)
- Alphonsus MathiasRoman Catholic archbishop of Bangalore (1928–2024)
- Alphonsus F. D'SouzaRoman Catholic bishop (1939-2016)
- Alphonsus Liguori PenneyCatholic archbishop (1924-2017)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Alphonsus, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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“one who negotiates” · “a reluctant man”
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