Alphonce
Of German origin, meaning "noble" or "ready".
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Alphonce. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Alphonce today is around 69 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Alphonce births was 1938 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Alphonce. 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
- • The typical person named Alphonce is about 69 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Alphonces were born before 1967.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Alphonce. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
1938
5 babies that year
Average age
69
years old
1960 SSA rank
#4,048
Tracked since 1938
Popularity
Alphonce: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Alphonce from the 1930s through to the 1960s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 5 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Alphonce 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 Alphonce during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Alphonce
The given name Alphonce has its origins in the Germanic language family. It is derived from the Old German name Adalfuns, which is a combination of two words: "adal" meaning "noble" and "funs" meaning "ready" or "eager". The name can be traced back to the 5th century AD, during the Migration Period, when various Germanic tribes were on the move across Europe.
In its earliest form, the name was spelled as Adalfuns or Adalfunz, reflecting the pronunciation used by the ancient Germanic peoples. As the name spread across different regions and languages, it underwent various modifications and adaptations, leading to the modern spelling of Alphonce.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Alphonce is found in the Codex Sangallensis, a 9th-century Latin manuscript from the Abbey of Saint Gall in Switzerland. The manuscript contains a list of names, including the name Adalfunz, which is believed to be an early variant of Alphonce.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Alphonce. One of the earliest recorded was Alphonce de Poitiers (c. 1109 – c. 1180), a French nobleman and military leader who participated in the Second Crusade. Another notable bearer was Alphonce de Richelieu (1582 – 1653), a French cardinal and statesman who served as the chief minister to King Louis XIII.
In the realm of arts and literature, Alphonce Daudet (1840 – 1897) was a French novelist and playwright known for his works such as "Letters from My Windmill" and "The Immortal". In the field of science, Alphonce Laveran (1845 – 1922) was a French physician and Nobel Prize winner who discovered the parasite responsible for malaria.
Another notable figure was Alphonce Capone (1899 – 1947), an American gangster and crime boss who dominated organized crime in Chicago during the Prohibition era, earning him the nickname "Scarface".
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have borne the name Alphonce, showcasing its enduring presence across various cultures and time periods.
People
Alphonce + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Alphonce 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
Alphonce: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Alphonce?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Alphonce 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 1 in 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Alphonce a common name?
We classify Alphonce as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Alphonce most popular?
The single biggest year for Alphonce was 1938, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Alphonce is about 69 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 Alphonce in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Alphonce a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Alphonce 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 Alphonce still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Alphonce 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 Alphonce 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 common is the name Alphonce?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.