Alf

Where Alf comes from

The dictionaries list Alf as a given name — a diminutive of the male given names Alfred and Alfonso, from the Germanic languages — but don't trace where it came from. The record below is what the SSA data shows.

  • 1 syllable
Along the way
  1. 1880
    First SSA year
    Already #745 among boys — 7 babies in the first year on record.
  2. 1883
    Peak, #460
    15 babies named Alf — more than any year before or since.
  3. 1884
    The fade
    The first year with half the peak's births — down to #764.
  4. 1903
    Alf Sjöberg born
    Swedish film director
  5. 1920
    Alf Ramsey born
    English association football player and manager
In the dictionary
  • A diminutive of the male given names Alfred and Alfonso, from the Germanic languages.
Namesakes
  • Alf Ramsey · English association football player and manager, 1920–1999
  • Alf Sjöberg · Swedish film director, 1903–1980
  • Alf Landon · American politician, 1887–1987
  • Alf Andersen · Norwegian ski jumper, 1906–1975
  • Alf Prøysen · Norwegian singer-songwriter and author, 1914–1970

Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record.