Alphonza
A feminine given name of uncertain origin, possibly a blend.
Name Census estimates that about 300 living Americans carry the first name Alphonza. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Alphonza today is around 69 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Alphonza births was 1948 (25 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Alphonza. 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 Alphonza is about 69 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Alphonzas were born before 1967.
People living today
300
~ 1 in 1,142,514 Americans
Peak year
1948
25 babies that year
Average age
69
years old
1982 SSA rank
#4,613
Tracked since 1916
Census
Alphonza in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 237 people with the first name Alphonza, which placed it at #34,427 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#34,427
National first-name rank
People counted
237
237 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
93.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Alphonza
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Alphonza is Black at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Alphonza described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Alphonza at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American93.2% · 221
- Two or more races3.8% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 7
Popularity
Alphonza: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Alphonza from the 1910s through to the 1980s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 134 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Alphonza 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 Alphonza during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Alphonzas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia recorded the most babies named Alphonza, while Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 21 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Alphonza
The name Alphonza is a unique and intriguing one, with roots that can be traced back to the Middle Ages. Its origins lie in the Germanic languages, specifically the Old German name Alfons, which means "ready for battle." This name later evolved into the more widely recognized Alfonso, a Spanish and Portuguese variant that gained popularity during the medieval era.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Alphonza can be found in historical documents from the 12th century, where it was used as a feminine form of Alfonso. During this time, the name was particularly prevalent in regions of what is now Spain and Portugal, where it was often associated with nobility and royalty.
Interestingly, the name Alphonza also appears in various religious texts and scriptures from the medieval period. In some instances, it was used as a reference to strong, courageous individuals, reflecting the name's original meaning of "ready for battle."
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Alphonza. One such figure was Alphonza of Aragon (1270-1314), a Spanish noblewoman who played a significant role in the political affairs of her time. Another noteworthy bearer of the name was Alphonza of Castile (1355-1419), a Castilian princess who was known for her patronage of the arts and her influence on the cultural landscape of medieval Spain.
In the 15th century, Alphonza of Aviz (1435-1476), a Portuguese infanta, made her mark on history as a prominent figure in the Portuguese court. Her life and contributions have been documented in various historical records from the era.
The name Alphonza also found its way into literary works, with one of the earliest examples being a character in the 16th-century novel "The Unfortunate Traveller" by Thomas Nashe (1567-1601). This literary reference further solidified the name's place in the cultural tapestry of the time.
Another notable bearer of the name was Alphonza Maria Orsini (1698-1768), an Italian noblewoman and socialite who was renowned for her wit and charm. Her influence extended beyond the boundaries of her homeland, making her a significant figure in the cultural landscape of 18th-century Europe.
While the name Alphonza may not be as common today as it once was, its rich history and fascinating origins continue to captivate those with an interest in onomastics and the stories behind names. This unique moniker serves as a testament to the diverse cultural influences that have shaped our understanding of language and identity over the centuries.
People
Alphonza + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Alphonza 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
Alphonza: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Alphonza?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 300 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Alphonza 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 1,142,514 US residents.
Is Alphonza a common name?
We classify Alphonza as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 508 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Alphonza most popular?
The single biggest year for Alphonza was 1948, when 25 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Alphonza is about 69 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Alphonza in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 237 people with the name Alphonza, or 0.08 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #34,427 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Alphonza in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Alphonza?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Alphonza leans strongly male. 234 people counted with this name were male (97.5%), compared with 6 female bearers (2.5%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Alphonza?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Alphonza is Black at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Alphonza most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Alphonza in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (221 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Alphonza in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Alphonza a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Alphonza 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 Alphonza still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Alphonza 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 Alphonza 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.
How many Americans are named Alphonza?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the name Alphonza at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.