2000
#38,706
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 537
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.20
Rare Last name
Alfonzo
A Spanish surname derived from the Germanic name Adalfuns, meaning "noble" and "ready."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,109 Americans carry the last name Alfonzo. That puts it at #26,563 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 309,066 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Alfonzo 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.
Bearers in the US
1.1K
1 in 309,066
Census rank
#26,563
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
967
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 967 bearers of the surname Alfonzo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 26563rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Alfonzo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 81.6%. The next largest groups are White (9.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Alfonzo
The surname Alfonzo is of Spanish origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is derived from the ancient Germanic name Alfonso, which itself is a combination of the Gothic words "alf" meaning "ready" and "funsa" meaning "journey" or "battle."
Alfonzo emerged as a surname in regions of Spain where the name Alfonso was popular, particularly in areas like Castile and Aragon. The earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in medieval Spanish records and documents from the 12th and 13th centuries.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Alfonzo was Pedro Alfonzo, a 13th-century Spanish military commander who served under King Alfonso X of Castile, known as "El Sabio" (The Wise). Pedro Alfonzo played a crucial role in the conquest of Murcia from the Moors in 1266.
Another notable figure was Juan Alfonzo, a 15th-century Spanish explorer and navigator who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493. Juan Alfonzo is credited with being one of the first Europeans to set foot on the island of Puerto Rico.
In Italy, the surname Alfonzo can be traced back to the 16th century, when it was adopted by families with connections to Spanish rulers or nobility. One such individual was Alfonso Alfonzo, a Neapolitan painter born in 1548, who gained recognition for his religious works and frescoes.
The surname Alfonzo also found its way to England in the 16th century, likely through Spanish or Italian immigrants. One of the earliest recorded instances in England is that of Diego Alfonzo, a Spanish merchant who settled in London in the late 1500s.
Over the centuries, the surname Alfonzo has been associated with various notable individuals, including Antonio Alfonzo (1712-1786), an Italian architect and sculptor; Pedro Alfonzo (1832-1912), a Venezuelan military leader and politician; and José Alfonzo (1892-1967), a Cuban painter and sculptor known for his modernist works.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Alfonzo
Among Census respondents with the surname Alfonzo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 81.6%. The next largest groups are White (9.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Alfonzo 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 Alfonzo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino81.6% · 789
- White9.9% · 96
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.1% · 59
- Black or African American1.4% · 14
- Two or more races0.7% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Alfonzo
Alfonzo 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
#42,030
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 517
-20 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.18
Rank movement Down 3,324 places
2020
#26,563
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 967
+450 bearers (+87.0%)
Per 100,000 0.32
Rank movement Up 15,467 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #38,706 | 537 | 0.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #42,030 | 517 | 0.18 | -20 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 3,324 places |
| 2020 | #26,563 | 967 | 0.32 | +450 bearers (+87.0%) | Up 15,467 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 Alfonzo 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 | #42,030 | #26,563 | 36.8% |
| Count | 517 | 967 | 87.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.18 | 0.32 | 79.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Alfonzo bearers went from 517 to 967 (+87.0% change). The surname moved up 15,467 positions in the national ranking, going from #42,030 to #26,563.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Alfonzo
FAQ
Alfonzo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Alfonzo?
Name Census estimates that about 1,109 living Americans carry the surname Alfonzo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 309,066 residents.
How common is Alfonzo?
Alfonzo ranks #26,563 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.32 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 967 people with the surname Alfonzo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,109), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.32 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Alfonzo.
Has Alfonzo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Alfonzo went from 517 recorded bearers to 967. That is an increase of 450 (+87.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #42,030 to #26,563.
What does the Census say about the background of Alfonzo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Alfonzo, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 81.6%. The next largest groups are White (9.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.1%). 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 Alfonzo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.6% (789 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Alfonzo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (81.6%), White (9.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (6.1%). 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 Alfonzo (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 Alfonzo mean?
A Spanish 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 Alfonzo (0.32 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 are called Alfonzo?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Alfonzo, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.