2000
#3,404
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,632
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.57
Uncommon Last name
Alfonso
A patronymic surname derived from the Germanic name Adalfuns, meaning "noble and ready."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,700 Americans carry the last name Alfonso. That puts it at #2,948 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 25,019 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Alfonso surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Alfonso with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 25,019
Census rank
#2,948
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,947 bearers of the surname Alfonso in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2948th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Alfonso, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 68.9%. The next largest groups are White (16.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (11.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Alfonso
The surname Alfonso has its origins in the Spanish and Portuguese languages, tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Germanic name Alfons, which itself is a combination of the elements "alf" meaning "elf" and "naus" meaning "valiant" or "brave." The name was popularized in the Iberian Peninsula after the Reconquista, the period of Christian reconquest of the region from the Moors.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Alfonso can be found in the 13th-century Codex Calixtinus, a medieval manuscript chronicling the pilgrimages to Santiago de Compostela. The document mentions a nobleman named Alfonso Fernández, who played a significant role in the expansion of the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage route.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in several historical documents from the Kingdom of Aragon, such as the Llibre de Priviliegis de la Ciutat de València, where it was often spelled as "Alonso." This variation was likely influenced by the local Valencian dialect.
During the Renaissance period, the name gained further prominence with the birth of Alfonso V of Aragon (1396-1458), also known as Alfonso the Magnanimous. He was a renowned patron of the arts and a significant figure in the Italian Renaissance.
In the 16th century, the explorer and conquistador Alfonso de Ojeda (1468-1515) played a crucial role in the Spanish colonization of the Americas, leading expeditions to present-day Colombia and Venezuela.
Another notable bearer of the surname was Alfonso X of Castile (1221-1284), also known as Alfonso the Wise. He was a prolific patron of literature and science, and his court was a center of intellectual activity, producing works such as the Libros del Saber de Astronomía and the Cantigas de Santa María.
The name Alfonso also has connections to various place names in Spain and Portugal. For instance, the town of Alfonso in the province of Valencia is believed to have been named after a notable local figure bearing the surname.
While the surname Alfonso has its roots in the Iberian Peninsula, it has since spread globally due to Spanish and Portuguese colonization and migration. Throughout history, it has been associated with numerous individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields, reflecting the diverse cultural heritage of this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Alfonso
Among Census respondents with the surname Alfonso, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 68.9%. The next largest groups are White (16.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (11.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Alfonso bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Alfonso surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino68.9% · 8,229
- White16.8% · 2,004
- Asian and Pacific Islander11.7% · 1,397
- Two or more races1.3% · 153
- Black or African American1.2% · 148
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Alfonso
Alfonso appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#2,927
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,246
+2,614 bearers (+27.1%)
Per 100,000 4.15
Rank movement Up 477 places
2020
#2,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,947
-299 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 4.00
Rank movement Down 21 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,404 | 9,632 | 3.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,927 | 12,246 | 4.15 | +2,614 bearers (+27.1%) | Up 477 places |
| 2020 | #2,948 | 11,947 | 4.00 | -299 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 21 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Alfonso surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,927 | #2,948 | -0.7% |
| Count | 12,246 | 11,947 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 4.15 | 4.00 | -3.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Alfonso bearers went from 12,246 to 11,947 (-2.4% change). The surname moved down 21 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,927 to #2,948.
FAQ
Alfonso surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Alfonso?
Name Census estimates that about 13,700 living Americans carry the surname Alfonso. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 25,019 residents.
How common is Alfonso?
Alfonso ranks #2,948 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.00 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,947 people with the surname Alfonso. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,700), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.00 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Alfonso.
Has Alfonso become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Alfonso went from 12,246 recorded bearers to 11,947. That is a decrease of 299 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,927 to #2,948.
What does the Census say about the background of Alfonso?
Among Census respondents with the surname Alfonso, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 68.9%. The next largest groups are White (16.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (11.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Alfonso in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.9% (8,229 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Alfonso appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (68.9%), White (16.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (11.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Alfonso (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Alfonso mean?
A patronymic surname derived from the Germanic name Adalfuns, meaning "noble and ready." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Alfonso (4.00 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Alfonso?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.