What Alfonso means
Alfonso is a boy name of Germanic origin meaning "noble and ready". It comes from Visigothic Adalfuns: adal (noble; or hathu: battle) + funs (ready, eager). It is pronounced ahl-FON-so.
First element uncertain; several Gothic names may have merged. Alfonso Reyes, writer; Alfonso Cuarón, director; Alfonso García Robles, Nobel Peace Prize 1982.
About this meaning. The etymology is uncertain or disputed. The reading above is the best-supported one; popular baby-name sites often give a more romantic gloss that the dictionaries do not confirm.
Nicknames in Mexico: Poncho, Fonchi. Poncho comes from the ending -fonso with f becoming p and s becoming ch, the same shifts that give Pancho from Francisco. See the guide to Mexican nicknames.
Popularity: a common name in Mexico.
