Alfa

This name derives from the Germanic (Gothic) “Adalfuns / Hildefons,” composed of two elements: “*aþalaz / *hildiz” (noble, nobleman, aristocratic, eminent, glorious, excellent / battle, fight) plus “*funsaz” (ready, to predispose, willing, eager, to tread). In turn, the name means “eager for war, ready for battle, noble and brave.” The first element, which formed different names over time, were merged into a single form and, therefore, in a single-family of names. The name in various forms has spread first in Spain and the Iberian Peninsula due to the numerous Visigoth kings and their descendants. Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori (1696–1787) was an Italian Catholic bishop, spiritual writer, scholastic philosopher and theologian, and founder of the Redemptorists, an influential religious congregation. He was canonized in 1839 by Pope Gregory XVI. Pope Pius IX proclaimed him a Doctor of the Church in 1871.