Show ContentsAlfons History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The distinguished surname Alfons can be traced back to the ancient and beautiful region of Sicily, which is located off Southwestern Italy and incorporates the island of Sicily itself, the area of Naples, and the southern part of the Italian peninsula. Although people were originally known only by a single name, it became necessary for people to adopt a second name to identify themselves as populations grew and travel became more frequent. The process of adopting fixed hereditary surnames was not complete until the modern era, but the use of hereditary family names in Italy began in the 10th and 11th centuries. Italian hereditary surnames were developed according to fairly general principles and they were characterized by a profusion of derivatives coined from given names. The most common type of family name found in the region of Sicily is the patronymic surname, which is derived from the father's given name. During the Middle Ages, Italians adopted the patronymic system of name-making because it perfectly complemented the prevailing Feudal System. In Italy the popularity of patronymic type of surname is also due to the fact that during the Christian era, people often named their children after saints and biblical figures. The surname Alfons was derived from the personal name "Alfonso."

Alfons Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: DiFonzo, DiFonso and others.


Contemporary Notables of the name Alfons (post 1700) +

  • Alfons Feger (1856-1933), Liechtenstein teacher and politician whop was briefly Prime Minister of Liechtenstein from May 1922 to June 1922
  • Alfons Vogtel (1952-2022), German businessman and politician, Member of the Christian Democratic Union, he served in the Landtag of Saarland from 1985 to 2007
  • Alfons Dirnberger (1941-2022), Austrian footballer who played as a midfielder, he made three appearances for the Austria national team from 1965 to 1966
  • Alfons Heck (1928-2005), German American human rights activist
  • Alfons "Fons" Remi Emiel Viscount Verplaetse (1930-2020), Belgian economist who served as Governor of the National Bank of Belgium (NBB) from 1989 until 1999
  • Alfons Borrell i Palazón (1931-2020), Spanish abstract painter
  • Alfons Maria Stickler SDB, JCD (1910-2007), Austrian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church
  • Alfons Stier (1877-1952), German composer
  • Alfons Karpiñski (1875-1961), Polish portrait painter
  • Alfons "Alf" Joseph Klimek (b. 1956), Australian musician


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