Baby Names US
boys' name ★ peaked 1918

Alphonse

Gender Boy Rank 2025 #2,516 Trend ↑ Rising 41%

From French Alphonse, from Spanish Alfonso, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *Aþalafunsaz, from *aþalaz +‎ *funsaz.

Rank 2025
#2,516
among boys · ↓95 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
53
named Alphonse · -7% vs 2024
How common
1 in 32,228
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1918
357 babies
All-time total
10,590
#1,170 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Alphonse popularity over time

10,590 babies have been named Alphonse since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.130.250.380.518801900192019401960198020002020Peak 1913Boys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Boys Per year Change Best rank
1880s 178 18 – #344
1890s 218 22 +22% #345
1900s 347 35 +59% #307
1910s 2,326 233 +570% #277
1920s 2,529 253 +9% #320
1930s 1,281 128 -49% #396
1940s 954 95 -26% #525
1950s 760 76 -20% #746
1960s 496 50 -35% #922
1970s 304 30 -39% #1,330
1980s 239 24 -21% #1,654
1990s 221 22 -8% #2,309
2000s 151 15 -32% #3,772
2010s 265 27 +75% #2,729
2020s (to 2025) 321 54 +102% #2,419

Where Alphonse is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 57 0.03 outside top 500
2027 60 0.04 outside top 500
2028 63 0.04 outside top 500
2029 66 0.04 outside top 500
2030 68 0.04 outside top 500

The story of Alphonse

Alphonse is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #2,516 in 2025 with 53 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 10,590 American babies have been named Alphonse. Its peak came in 1918, when 357 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1910s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Alphonse stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Alphonse?

The median living Alphonse is about 59 years old; half are between 28 and 74. An estimated 3,100 people named Alphonse are alive in the United States today.

median 59 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Alphonse year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Boys Boys rank
2025 53 #2,516
2024 57 #2,421
2023 50 #2,618
2022 55 #2,493
2021 52 #2,523
2020 54 #2,419
2019 29 #3,721
2018 35 #3,247
2017 37 #3,128
2016 44 #2,729
2015 23 #4,299
2014 26 #3,902
2013 21 #4,471
2012 16 #5,493
2011 20 #4,665
2010 14 #6,049
2009 16 #5,563
2008 16 #5,499
2007 16 #5,441
2006 11 #6,925
2005 14 #5,587
2004 11 #6,543
2003 17 #4,618
2002 17 #4,511
2001 12 #5,681
2000 21 #3,772
1995 21 #3,195
1990 30 #2,309
1985 24 #2,227
1980 30 #1,853
1975 40 #1,379
1970 26 #1,701
1965 45 #1,107
1960 54 #1,046
1955 77 #836
1950 83 #755
1945 78 #684
1940 100 #591
1935 113 #543
1930 159 #469
1925 271 #359
1920 329 #320
1915 297 #290
1910 56 #329
1905 25 #430
1900 27 #433
1895 25 #383
1890 18 #424
1885 25 #344
1880 20 #382

Famous people named Alphonse

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Alphonse Mucha Alphonse Mucha Czech painter, illustrator and graphic artist (1860–1939) 19th century
  2. 2 Alphonse Daudet Alphonse Daudet French novelist (1840–1897) 19th century
  3. 3 Alphonse de Lamartine Alphonse de Lamartine French author, poet and statesman (1790–1869) 18th century
  4. 4 Alphonse Juin Alphonse Juin French Army officer (1888–1967) 19th century
  5. 5 Alphonse Bertillon Alphonse Bertillon French police officer and biometrics researcher (1853–1914) 19th century
  6. 6 Alphonse, Count of Poitiers Alphonse, Count of Poitiers 13th-century French nobleman 1220–1271 · Medieval
  7. 7 Alphonse Massamba-Débat Alphonse Massamba-Débat President of Congo-Brazzaville from 1963 to 1968 1921–1977 · Contemporary
  8. 8 Alphonse Allais Alphonse Allais French writer and humorist (1854–1905) 19th century
  9. 9 Alphonse Tchami Cameroonian footballer (born 1971) Contemporary
  10. 10 Alphonse Legros Alphonse Legros French-British painter and sculptor (1837–1911) 19th century
  11. 11 Alphonse Pénaud Alphonse Pénaud French engineer 1850–1880 · 19th century
  12. 12 Alphonse de Châteaubriant Alphonse de Châteaubriant French writer (1877–1951) 19th century
  13. 13 Alphonse Milne-Edwards Alphonse Milne-Edwards Anglo-French zoologist (1835-1900) 19th century
  14. 14 Alphonse Pyramus de Candolle Alphonse Pyramus de Candolle Swiss botanist (1806–1893) 19th century
  15. 15 Alphonse Beau de Rochas Alphonse Beau de Rochas French engineer 1815–1893 · 19th century
  16. 16 Alphonse Borrelly French astronomer 1842–1926 · 19th century
  17. 17 Alphonse Alley Alphonse Alley Beninese army officer and politician (1930–1987) Contemporary
  18. 18 Alphonse Kirchhoffer Alphonse Kirchhoffer French fencer (1873–1913) 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Alphonse, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Alphonse?

The median living Alphonse is about 59 years old. Half of all living Alphonses are between 28 and 74 years old.

How many people named Alphonse are alive today?

An estimated 3,100 people named Alphonse are alive in the United States, based on 10,590 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Alphonse mean?

From French Alphonse, from Spanish Alfonso, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *Aþalafunsaz, from *aþalaz +‎ *funsaz.

How popular is the name Alphonse in 2025?

Alphonse ranked #2,516 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 53 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Alphonse?

10,590 babies have been named Alphonse in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Alphonse most popular?

Alphonse peaked in 1918, when 357 newborns received the name.

Is Alphonse a boy or girl name?

Alphonse is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Alphonse rising or falling?

Alphonse is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Alphonse become more popular?

Alphonse is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 68 boys named Alphonse in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Alphonse?

Well-known people named Alphonse include Alphonse Mucha (painter), Alphonse Daudet (writer), Alphonse de Lamartine (writer).

Names like Alphonse

Names that sound and feel close to Alphonse: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Alphonse with similar names → More names starting with A →