Alfonso

al-FON-soh

A noble old name linked in traditional etymology with readiness and battle.

Meaning

In the excerpts, Alfonso is treated as a Spanish form related to the older name Ildefonso, with Charnock tracing that chain back to Old German Hildefons / Hildefuns. Yonge glosses Alfonso as meaning “eager for battle,” reflecting the Germanic-style martial interpretation commonly attached to the name.

Origin

Fun fact

The excerpts show a whole family of related spellings and forms—Alphonso, Alphonsus, Alphonse, Alonso, Affonso, and more—circulating across languages.

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Confidence: mixed. Sources: History of Christian Names, Praenomina; or, the etymology of the principal Christian names of Great Britain and Ireland, A list of Christian names, their derivatives, nicknames and equivalents in several languages.

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