Fun Facts About the Name Ildefonso
- 392 babies named Ildefonso: U.S. records list 392 babies given the name Ildefonso from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Ildefonso Mean?
Ildefonso is a Spanish and Portuguese masculine name meaning 'ready for battle.' It comes from the Gothic name Hildifuns, a compound of hildi 'battle' and funs 'ready, eager.' The Gothic form is reconstructed rather than directly recorded. The name passed into medieval Latin as Ildephonsus and then into the Romance languages as Spanish and Portuguese Ildefonso, Catalan Ildefons, and French Ildephonse. The literal sense of the Germanic compound is 'eager or ready for battle'; the customary English gloss is 'ready for battle.' Despite its similar ending, Ildefonso is not a variant of Alfonso: Alfonso goes back to the different Gothic compound Adalfuns, whose first element is adal 'noble.'
Ildefonso Name History & Origins
The Latin form Ildephonsus is best known from Saint Ildefonso of Toledo (c. 607 - 667), archbishop of Toledo and author of De virginitate perpetua Sanctae Mariae. His feast day is January 23. The name's use in Spain and Portugal is tied to devotion to him, and from the Latin form came the Spanish and Portuguese Ildefonso, the Catalan Ildefons, and the French Ildephonse. A later legend says that the Virgin Mary appeared to him and gave him a chasuble; this account is traditional rather than documentary.
The Latin name rests on a Gothic original reconstructed as Hildifuns. In the Romance forms the initial H- was lost, yielding Ildefonso. The similar-looking Alfonso has a separate Gothic origin, Adalfuns, so the two names are not variants of each other.
The name was carried to Latin America and the Philippines through Spanish and Portuguese colonial expansion. It appears in place names such as San Ildefonso, including the Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso in Segovia, Spain, which is dedicated to the saint.
How Popular is the Name Ildefonso?
Ildefonso has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1976. Its best rank was #2,474 in 1946.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | #13,067 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2011 | #13,037 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2008 | #13,282 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 2006 | #11,165 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2005 | #12,107 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2004 | #12,032 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2003 | #9,023 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2001 | #9,725 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1999 | #7,420 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1997 | #5,811 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1996 | #7,443 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1994 | #9,364 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1993 | #5,512 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1992 | #5,017 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1990 | #6,709 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1989 | #5,857 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1988 | #6,739 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1987 | #6,423 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1986 | #5,053 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1985 | #4,870 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1984 | #5,870 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1983 | #3,495 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1982 | #4,062 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1981 | #5,153 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1980 | #6,646 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1979 | #5,046 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1978 | #4,311 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1976 | #2,645 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 1975 | #4,094 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1974 | #4,871 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1973 | #3,102 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1972 | #4,659 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1970 | #5,031 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1968 | #4,387 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1967 | #3,381 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1966 | #2,700 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1965 | #3,696 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1964 | #2,946 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1963 | #3,813 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1962 | #2,933 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1961 | #2,990 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1960 | #3,196 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1959 | #3,770 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1954 | #2,520 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 1952 | #3,219 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1948 | #2,882 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1947 | #3,216 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1946 | #2,474 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1940 | #3,682 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1931 | #3,576 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1928 | #3,919 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1924 | #4,100 | 6 | 0.0005% |
| 1917 | #3,747 | 6 | 0.0006% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
Most Popular Boy Names That Start with I
How the Name Ildefonso Shapes Your Personality and Life?
Your tendency is to finish whatever you start. You like to use the pen or the needle (writing, fashion design etc). You are loving, compassionate, intuitive and humanitarian. Runs of luck, either good or bad, follow you. You are sympathetic, but at times might be touchy and oversensitive. You may have a gift for writing. You are intuitive and might be interested in the arts, drama or science.
You desire to inspire and lead, to control other's affairs. You are giving, courageous and bold, action oriented,energetic and strong willed. You want to make a difference in the world, and this attitude often attracts you to cultural interests, politics, social issues, and the cultivation of your creative talents.
✦ Ildefonso's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Ildefonso's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.