Alphon
A masculine name of unknown origin, potentially related to the Spanish name Alonso.
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Alphon. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Alphon today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Alphon births was 1921 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Alphon. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Alphon. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1921
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1921 SSA rank
#4,339
Tracked since 1921
Popularity
Alphon: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Alphon by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Alphon during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Alphon
The name Alphon has its origins in the ancient Germanic and Anglo-Saxon languages, where it was derived from the Old English words "ælf" meaning "elf" and "hun" meaning "bear." The combination of these words suggests a meaning along the lines of "elf warrior" or "elfin bear."
In the early medieval period, the name Alphon was relatively common among the Anglo-Saxon nobility and warrior class. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, which mentions an Alphon of Mercia who fought against the invading Danish armies in the 9th century.
During the Middle Ages, the name Alphon gained popularity across various parts of Europe. In the 11th century, an Alphon of Aquitaine was a notable French nobleman and crusader who participated in the First Crusade. Around the same time, an Alphon of Aragon was a prominent figure in the Reconquista, the campaign to retake the Iberian Peninsula from the Moors.
As the Renaissance period dawned, the name Alphon continued to be used, particularly in Germanic and Scandinavian regions. One notable bearer of the name was Alphon Dürer, a German painter and printmaker born in 1471, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest artists of the Northern Renaissance.
In the 17th century, an Alphon von Siebold was a German naturalist and explorer who traveled extensively in Japan and made significant contributions to the study of Japanese flora and fauna.
During the 19th century, the name Alphon saw a resurgence in popularity, particularly in German-speaking countries. One notable figure was Alphon Daudet, a French novelist and short story writer born in 1840, known for his works depicting the lives of the working class in southern France.
Throughout its long history, the name Alphon has been borne by various individuals from different walks of life, ranging from warriors and noblemen to artists and explorers. While its usage has waned in modern times, it remains a name steeped in rich cultural heritage and evocative meanings.
People
Alphon + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Alphon as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Alphon: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Alphon?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Alphon going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about - US residents.
Is Alphon a common name?
We classify Alphon as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Alphon most popular?
The single biggest year for Alphon was 1921, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Alphon is about 0 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Alphon in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Alphon a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Alphon in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Alphon still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Alphon in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Alphon can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Alphon?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.