Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century (

Alfonso I of Asturias Alfonso I of Asturias, called the Catholic (''el Católico''), (c. 693 – 757) was the third King of Asturias, reigning from 739 to his death in 757. His reign saw an extension of the Christian domain of Asturias, reconquering Galicia and Le ...

, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the

Visigothic kingdom The Visigothic Kingdom, officially the Kingdom of the Goths ( la, Regnum Gothorum), was a kingdom that occupied what is now southwestern France and the Iberian Peninsula from the 5th to the 8th centuries. One of the Germanic successor states to ...

in the

Iberian peninsula The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, def ...

. In the later medieval period it became a standard name in the

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

and

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

royal families. It is derived from a Gothic name, or a conflation of several Gothic names; from ''*Aþalfuns'', composed of the elements ''

aþal Othala (), also known as odal and ēðel, is a rune that represents the ''o'' and ''œ'' phonemes in the Elder Futhark and the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc writing systems respectively. Its name is derived from the reconstructed Proto-Germanic *''ō� ...

'' "noble" and ''funs'' "eager, brave, ready", and perhaps influenced by names such as ''*Alafuns'', ''*Adefuns'' and ''* Hildefuns''. It is recorded as ''Adefonsus'' in the 9th and 10th century, and as ''Adelfonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'' in the 10th to 11th. The reduced form ''Alfonso'' is recorded in the late 9th century, and the Portuguese form ''Afonso'' from the early 11th. and ''Anfós'' in Catalan from the 12th Century until the 15th. Variants of the name include: ''Alonso'' (Spanish), ''Alfonso'' (Spanish and Italian), ''Alfons'' (Dutch, German, Catalan, Polish, Croatian and Scandinavian), ''Afonso'' (

and Galician), '' Alphonse'', ''Alfonse'' (Italian, French and English), etc.

Middle Ages

Iberian royal families

;Asturias/Leon/Castile/Spain *

(739-757) *

Alfonso II of Asturias Alfonso II of Asturias (842), nicknamed the Chaste ( es, el Casto), was the king of Asturias during two different periods: first in the year 783 and later from 791 until his death in 842. Upon his death, Nepotian, a family member of undeter ...

(791-842) *

Alfonso III of León Alfonso III (20 December 910), called the Great ( es, el Magno), was the king of León, Galicia and Asturias from 866 until his death. He was the son and successor of Ordoño I. In later sources he is the earliest to be called "Emperor of Spai ...

(866-910) *

Alfonso Fróilaz Alfonso Fróilaz, called the Hunchback (Spanish ''el Jorobado''), was briefly the king of the unified kingdom of Asturias, Galicia and León in 925. He succeeded his father, King Fruela II, in July 925 but was driven from the throne within the yea ...

(925-926) *

Alfonso IV of León Alfonso IV (s933), called the Monk ( es, el Monje), was King of León from 925 (or 926) and King of Galicia from 929, until he abdicated in 931. When Ordoño II died in 924 it was not one of his sons who ascended to the throne of León but ra ...

(925-931) *

Alfonso V of León Alfonso V (c. 9947 August 1028), called the Noble, was King of León from 999 to 1028. Like other kings of León, he used the title emperor () to assert his standing among the Christian rulers of Spain. He succeeded his father, Bermudo II, in 99 ...

(999-1028) *

Alfonso VI of León Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century (Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic kingdom in the Iberian peninsula. ...

(1065–1109) *

Alfonso VII of León Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century (Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic kingdom in the Iberian peninsula. ...

(1126–1157) * Alfonso VIII of Castile (1158–1214) *

Alfonso IX of León Alfonso IX (15 August 117123 or 24 September 1230) was King of León and Galicia from the death of his father Ferdinand II in 1188 until his own death. He took steps towards modernizing and democratizing his dominion and founded the Universit ...

(1188–1230) *

Alfonso X of Castile Alfonso X (also known as the Wise, es, el Sabio; 23 November 1221 – 4 April 1284) was King of Castile, León and Galicia from 30 May 1252 until his death in 1284. During the election of 1257, a dissident faction chose him to be king of Ger ...

(1252–1284) * Alfonso XI of Castile (1312–1350) ;Aragon & Naples *

Alfonso I of Aragon Alfonso I (''c''. 1073/10747 September 1134), called the Battler or the Warrior ( es, el Batallador), was King of Aragon and Navarre from 1104 until his death in 1134. He was the second son of King Sancho Ramírez and successor of his brother Pe ...

(1104–1134), known as ''el Batallador'' (The Battler) * Alfonso II of Aragon (1162–1196) *

Alfonso III of Aragon Alfonso III (4 November 1265, in Valencia – 18 June 1291), called the Liberal (''el Liberal'') or the Free (also "the Frank," from ''el Franc''), was the king of Aragon and Valencia, count of Roussillon, Cerdanya and Barcelona (as ) from 12 ...

(1285–1291) * Alfonso IV of Aragon (1327–1336) * Alfonso V of Aragon (1416–1458), also king of Naples and Sicily *

Alfonso II of Naples Alfonso II (4 November 1448 – 18 December 1495) was Duke of Calabria and ruled as King of Naples from 25 January 1494 to 23 January 1495. He was a soldier and a patron of Renaissance architecture and the arts. Heir to his father Fer ...

(1448–1495) ;Portugal *

Afonso I of Portugal Afonso I of PortugalOr also ''Affonso'' (Archaic Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonso'' (Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonsus'' ( Latin version), sometimes rendered in English as ''Alphonzo'' or ''Alphonse'', depending on the Spanish or French in ...

(1109–1185) * Afonso II of Portugal (1185–1223) *

Afonso III of Portugal Afonso III (; rare English alternatives: ''Alphonzo'' or ''Alphonse''), or ''Affonso'' (Archaic Portuguese), ''Alfonso'' or ''Alphonso'' ( Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonsus'' (Latin), the Boulonnais ( Port. ''o Bolonhês''), King of Portugal ...

(1210–1279) *

Afonso IV of Portugal Afonso IVEnglish: ''Alphonzo'' or ''Alphonse'', or ''Affonso'' (Archaic Portuguese), ''Alfonso'' or ''Alphonso'' (Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonsus'' (Latin). (; 8 February 129128 May 1357), called the Brave ( pt, o Bravo, links=no), was King ...

(1291–1357) *

Afonso V of Portugal Afonso V () (15 January 1432 – 28 August 1481), known by the sobriquet the African (), was King of Portugal from 1438 until his death in 1481, with a brief interruption in 1477. His sobriquet refers to his military conquests in Northern Afri ...

(1432–1481) *

Afonso VI of Portugal Afonso VI (; 21 August 164312 September 1683), known as "the Victorious" (), was the second king of Portugal of the House of Braganza from 1656 until his death. He was initially under the regency of his mother, Luisa de Guzmán, until 1662, whe ...

(1643–1683)

Other

Alfonso Jordan Alfonso Jordan, also spelled Alfons Jordan or Alphonse Jourdain (1103–1148), was the Count of Tripoli (1105–09), Count of Rouergue (1109–48) and Count of Toulouse, Margrave of Provence and Duke of Narbonne (1112–48). Life Alfonso was ...

(1103–1148) *

Alphonse, Count of Poitiers Alphonse or Alfonso (11 November 122021 August 1271) was the count of Poitou from 1225 and count of Toulouse (as such called Alphonse II) from 1249. As count of Toulouse, he also governed the Marquisate of Provence. Birth and early life Born at P ...

(1220–1271) * Alfonso of Valladolid (c. 1270 – c. 1347), Jewish convert to Christianity, philosopher, and mathematician *

Alphonso, Earl of Chester Alphonso or Alfonso (24 November 1273 – 19 August 1284), also called Alphonsus and Alphonse and styled Earl of Chester, was an heir apparent to the English throne who never became king. Alphonso was the ninth child of King Edward I of England ...

(1273–1284), first son of Edward I of England, named after his godfather Alfonso X of Castile; died in childhood *

Juan Alfonso de Baena Juan Alfonso de Baena (?–c. 1435) was a medieval Castilian poet and scribe in the court of Juan II of Castile. Baena, who was a converso (a Jewish convert to Christianity), is best known for compiling and contributing to the ''Cancionero de Bae ...

(c. 1375 – c. 1434), Castilian troubadour

Early modern period

Afonso de Albuquerque Afonso de Albuquerque, 1st Duke of Goa (; – 16 December 1515) was a Portuguese general, admiral, and statesman. He served as viceroy of Portuguese India from 1509 to 1515, during which he expanded Portuguese influence across the Indian Ocean ...

, Portuguese general and governor of India *

Alphonse Daudet Alphonse Daudet (; 13 May 184016 December 1897) was a French novelist. He was the husband of Julia Daudet and father of Edmée, Léon and Lucien Daudet. Early life Daudet was born in Nîmes, France. His family, on both sides, belonged to the ...

, French novelist and historian *

Alfonso I d'Este Alfonso d'Este (21 July 1476 – 31 October 1534) was Duke of Ferrara during the time of the War of the League of Cambrai. Biography He was the son of Ercole I d'Este, Duke of Ferrara and Eleanor of Naples and became duke on Ercole's death i ...

, Duke of Ferrara during the time of the War of the League of Cambrai *

(1656–1683) *

Nzinga Mbemba Mvemba a Nzinga, Nzinga Mbemba, Funsu Nzinga Mvemba or Dom Alfonso. (c. 1456–1542 or 1543), also known as King Afonso I, was the sixth ruler of the Kingdom of Kongo from the Lukeni kanda dynasty and ruled in the first half of the 16th centur ...

(1505–1543), also known as "Afonso I of Kongo" *

Afonso II of Kongo Afonso II was a ruler of the Kingdom of Kongo in 1561. Biography Little is known about Afonso II or his reign. Duarte Lopes told Filippo Pigafetta the Italian humanist who composed a description of Kongo in 1591 that Diogo I's succession was dis ...

(1561) * Alphonse de Tonty, Baron de Paludy (c. 1659 – 1727) *

Afonso III of Kongo Afonso III Mvemba a Nimi (also spelt Affonso III) was a ruler of the kingdom of Kongo during its civil war period. King Afonso III first enters written record as the ruler of the Marquisate of Nkondo. He governed that area from late 1669 until mid ...

(1666–1667) *

Afonso, 1st Duke of Braganza Dom Afonso I of Braganza (; 10 August 1377 – 15 December 1461) was the first duke of Braganza and the eighth count of Barcelos. He founded the House of Braganza, the most powerful and wealthy dynasty in Portugal. His descendants became high-ra ...

, son of John I of Portugal *

Afonso, Prince of Portugal Afonso, Hereditary Prince of Portugal (; 18 May 147513 July 1491) was the heir apparent to the throne of Portugal. He was born in Lisbon, Portugal, and died in a horse-riding accident on the banks of the river Tagus. Heir apparent Afonso, na ...

, son of John II of Portugal *

Afonso, Duke of Porto Infante D. Afonso of Braganza, Duke of Porto (; 31 July 1865 in Palace of Ajuda, Lisbon – 21 February 1920 in Naples, Italy) was a Portuguese Infante of the House of Braganza,"While remaining patrilineal dynasts of the duchy of Saxe-Cob ...

, son of Louis I of Portugal *

Afonso of Portugal, Lord of Portalegre Infante Afonso of Portugal (8 February 1263, in Lisbon – 2 November 1312, in Lisbon; ; or ''Alphonse'') was a Portuguese ''infante'' (prince), son of King Afonso III of Portugal and his second wife Beatrice of Castile. He was titled Lord of ...

, son of Afonso III of Portugal *

Araribóia Araribóia (old spelling: Ararigboya) is the founder of the city of Niterói, in Brazil. In Tupi, his name means "ferocious snake". He was the leader of the Temiminó tribe, which inhabited the territory of the present Espírito Santo sta ...

, baptismal name Martim Afonso, leader of the Temiminó tribe in Brazil in the 16th century * Cardinal Afonso of Portugal, son of Manuel I of Portugal *

João Afonso de Aveiro Afonso de Paiva (c. 1443 – c. 1490) was a Portugal, Portuguese diplomacy, diplomat and explorer of Ethiopia and the Barbary Coast together with Pêro da Covilhã. According to James Bruce, Afonso left Pêro da Covilhã at Aden, and proceeded ...

, Portuguese explorer * Jorge Afonso, Portuguese Renaissance painter * Madragana, baptismal name Mor Afonso, mistress to Afonso III of Portugal * Alfonso II d'Este, Duke of Ferrara from 1559 to 1597 *

Alfonso II, Count of Provence Alfonso II (1180 – February 1209) was the second son of Alfonso II of Aragon (who was Alfonso I of Provence) and Sancha of Castile. His father transferred the County of Provence from his uncle Sancho to him in 1185. Alfonso II was born in Barc ...

, second son of Alfonso II of Aragon *

Alfonso III d'Este Alfonso III d'Este (22 October 1591 – 26 May 1644) was Duke of Modena and Reggio from 1628 to 1629. He was the husband of Princess Isabella of Savoy, daughter of Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy and his wife Infanta Catherine Michelle of Spai ...

, Duke of Modena and Reggio (1628–44) *

Alfonso of Castile, Prince of Asturias Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century (Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic kingdom in the Iberian peninsula. ...

, figurehead of rebelling magnates against his brother King Henry IV of Castile *

Alfonso of Hauteville Alfonso, also called Anfuso or Anfusus (''c''. 1120 – 10 October 1144), was the Prince of Capua from 1135 and Duke of Naples from 1139. He was an Italian-born Norman of the noble Hauteville family. After 1130, when his father Roger became King ...

, Prince of Capua *

Alphonsus Liguori Alphonsus Liguori, CSsR (27 September 1696 – 1 August 1787), sometimes called Alphonsus Maria de Liguori or Saint Alphonsus Liguori, was an Italian Catholic bishop, spiritual writer, composer, musician, artist, poet, lawyer, scholastic philoso ...

, Roman Catholic theologian (1696–1787) *Joseph-Alphonse Esménard (1770–1811)

Modern period

Iberian/Sicilian nobility

*Prince Alfonso, Count of Caserta (1841–1934), duke of Calabria and head of the royal house of the Two Sicilies *Alfonso XII of Spain (1857–1885) (ordinal numbering continues from the kings of Castile) *Alfonso XIII of Spain (1886–1931) *Infante Alfonso, Duke of Calabria, claimant to the title of the head of House of Bourbon Two Sicilies *Alfonso of Spain, Prince of Asturias, heir-apparent of the throne of Spain 1907–31 *Prince Alfonso of Hohenlohe-Langenburg (1924–2003), Spanish playboy and businessman *Infante Alfonso of Spain, younger brother of former King Juan Carlos of Spain *Fadrique Alfonso of Castile, fifth illegitimate child of Alfonso XI of Castile *Afonso VII of Portugal, future regnal name of the heir apparent to the current pretender *Infante Afonso, Prince of Beira, 2nd claimant in line to the Portuguese throne

Alfons

*Alfons Almi (1904-1991), Finnish opera singer and administrator *Alfons van Blaaderen (born 1963), Dutch physicist *Alfons Geleyns (1887-1914), Belgian private *Alfons Goppel (1905–1991), German politician *Alfons Gorbach (1898–1972), Austrian politician *Alfons Jēgers (1919–1999), Latvian football and hockey player *Alfons Karpiński (1875–1961), Polish painter *Alfons Rebane (1908–1976), Estonian military commander *Alfons Rissberger (born 1948), German author

Alphonse

*Alphonse Gabriel Capone (1899-1947), Chicago gangster

Alfonso

*Alfonso Cuarón, Mexican cinematographer *Alfonso Calderon (activist), Spanish born activist and advocate for gun control *Alfonso Calderón (poet), Chilean poet and writer *Alfonso Soriano, American baseball player *Alfonso Lizarazo, Colombian host and politician *Alfonso Mejia-Arias, Mexican musician, writer, social activist and politician of Roma origin (Gitano) *Alfonso Ribeiro, Caribbean-American actor and game show host. *Alfonso John Romero, American video-game designer, programmer, and developer *Alfonso Pérez, Spanish football (soccer) striker *Alfonso Oiterong, Palauan statesman, former Palau vice president 1981-1985 *Alicia Alfonso (born 1963), Uruguayan actress *Giovanni Alfonso Borelli, Italian physiologist and physicist *José Alfonso Belloso y Sánchez (1873–1938), Archbishop of San Salvador, El Salvador *Miguel Alfonso Pérez Aracil, Spanish football (soccer) midfielder

Afonso

*Afonso Alves, Brazilian footballer *Nadir Afonso Rodrigues (1920-2013), Portuguese painter *Zeca Afonso, real name José Manuel Cerqueira Afonso dos Santos, Portuguese folk and political musician *Alexandre Afonso da Silva, Brazilian footballer *Paulo Afonso Evangelista Vieira, Brazilian politician

Alfonse

*Alfonse D'Amato (born 1937), United States Senator from New York *Abraham Alfonse Albert Gallatin (1761–1849), Swiss-American politician *Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939), Czech artist

Alphonso

*Alphonso Davies, Canadian footballer born in Ghana, who grew up in Edmonton

As a surname

''Alphonse'', ''Alphonso'', ''Alfonso'' is occasionally seen as a surname derived from the given name, the latter descending from Asturias and Cantabria. *Celestino Alfonso (1916-1944), Spanish republican and volunteer fighter in the French resistance during World War II *Roland Alphonso (1931–1998), Jamaican saxophonist *Kristian Alfonso (born 1963), Puerto Rican American soap opera actress *Michael Lee Alfonso (1965-2007), ring name "Mike Awesome", American professional wrestler *Equis Alfonso, known as X-Alfonso, Cuban hip-hop and afro-rock musician *Ozzie Alfonso, Cuban-American TV director and producer *Andrey Nazário Afonso, Brazilian football goalkeeper *Amila Aponso, Sri Lankan Sinhala cricketer who plays for Ragama Cricket Club *Flavian Aponso, Sri Lankan Sinhala Dutch cricketer *Jayasekara Aponso, Sri Lankan Sinhala artist, actor, director, scriptwriter *Sadda Vidda Rajapakse Palanga Pathira Ambakumarage Ranjan Leo Sylvester Alphonsu, Sri Lankan Sinhala politician, actor, singer, writer

Pseudonym

*Bill Alfonso, ring name of William Matthew Sierra, former professional wrestling referee & manager

Stage name

*''Alfons'', the stage name of Emmanuel Peterfalvi, a French comedian

Fictional characters

*Alphonso, protagonist in ''Alfonso und Estrella'', an opera by Franz Schubert *''Don Alfonso'', character in Mozart's opera ''Così fan tutte'' *Alphonso MacKenzie, fictional character in the Marvel Universe *Alfie Atkins, known as ''Alfons Åberg'' in Swedish, character created by Gunilla Bergström from Sweden *Alfonzo Dominico Jones, a dog in the Australian television series ''SeaChange'' *Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice, character in the comic strip ''Dick Tracy'' *''Alphonse and Gaston'', French duo in a comic strip created by Frederick Burr Opper *Alphonse Elric from ''Fullmetal Alchemist'' *Alphonse Mephisto, fictional character in the animated television series ''South Park'' *Alfons Heiderich from ''Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa'' *Minor characters in Bloom County#Alphonso Ali, Alphonso Ali, minor character in ''Bloom County'' *Monsieur Alfonse, character in the BBC sitcom ''Allo 'Allo!'' played by the actor Kenneth Connor *The name of a number of pets and the Patlabor of Noa Izumi from the anime ''Patlabor'' *Oren Pierre Alfonso from ''Kamen Rider Gaim'' * Alfonso "French" Sosa, a main character from ''The OA''

References

{{given name Italian masculine given names Spanish masculine given names Portuguese masculine given names