Head to head · Boys' names
Alonzo vs Corbin
#511 vs #512 in 2025
Alonzo is a whisker ahead (#511 vs #512 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Alonzo is holding its place on the charts, Corbin is stepping back from its peak.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Alonzo leads 4 measures of 6; Corbin leads 1.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Alonzo #126, Corbin — — Alonzo higher
- 1890s: Alonzo #173, Corbin #983 — Alonzo higher
- 1900s: Alonzo #218, Corbin #1058 — Alonzo higher
- 1910s: Alonzo #295, Corbin #1830 — Alonzo higher
- 1920s: Alonzo #336, Corbin #2242 — Alonzo higher
- 1930s: Alonzo #353, Corbin #2363 — Alonzo higher
- 1940s: Alonzo #386, Corbin #2078 — Alonzo higher
- 1950s: Alonzo #363, Corbin #1938 — Alonzo higher
- 1960s: Alonzo #373, Corbin #1505 — Alonzo higher
- 1970s: Alonzo #428, Corbin #1047 — Alonzo higher
- 1980s: Alonzo #457, Corbin #969 — Alonzo higher
- 1990s: Alonzo #493, Corbin #393 — Corbin higher
- 2000s: Alonzo #552, Corbin #282 — Corbin higher
- 2010s: Alonzo #529, Corbin #238 — Corbin higher
- 2020s: Alonzo #504, Corbin #430 — Corbin higher
Alonzo stood higher in 11 of 15 decades; Corbin has held the lead since the 1990s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Alonzo | Corbin |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #126 | — |
| 1890s | #173 | #983 |
| 1900s | #218 | #1058 |
| 1910s | #295 | #1830 |
| 1920s | #336 | #2242 |
| 1930s | #353 | #2363 |
| 1940s | #386 | #2078 |
| 1950s | #363 | #1938 |
| 1960s | #373 | #1505 |
| 1970s | #428 | #1047 |
| 1980s | #457 | #969 |
| 1990s | #493 | #393 |
| 2000s | #552 | #282 |
| 2010s | #529 | #238 |
| 2020s | #504 | #430 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Alonzo
From Germanic roots usually read as "noble and ready"
The second element, funs ("eager, ready"), is agreed on. The first is not: most read it as adal, "noble," giving "noble and ready"; others trace it to hadu or hild, both meaning "battle," which would make it something nearer "ready for battle." All three are genuine Germanic name-elements, and all three were in circulation among the Visigoths.
Adalfuns → Alfonso → Alonso → Alonzo
How it traveled
The name begins as a Germanic compound carried into Iberia by the Visigoths, and it stuck: Alfonso became one of the great royal names of medieval Spain and Portugal, worn by kings of Castile, León, Aragon and Asturias for centuries. Ordinary Spanish speech wore Alfonso down to Alonso, and Alonso is the form that spread widest — including to the hidalgo of La Mancha in Cervantes' novel.
Corbin
raven, crow
From Old French corbin, a diminutive of corb 'raven', which comes from Latin corvus. As a medieval byname it pointed at dark hair or a dark complexion rather than at the bird itself.
corvus → corb → corbin → Corbin
How it traveled
The word behind Corbin is Latin corvus, 'raven', which became corb in Old French and picked up the affectionate ending -in. Medieval England and France both used it as a byname for dark-haired men, and from there it hardened into an inherited surname carried by families on either side of the Channel.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Alonzo
uh-LON-zoh
Stress on the middle syllable. Spanish speakers say ah-LON-so with a lighter first vowel and an s sound for the z; both are correct for their own language.
- Lonzo — The most common informal short form; also used on its own as a given name.
- Zo — Clipped to the last syllable, informal, common in sports and among friends.
- Lonnie — An older informal short form, and a standalone given name in its own right.
- Al — The plainest option, informal, shared with Albert, Alan and Alfred.
- Also Alo.
Corbin
KOR-bin
Stress on the first syllable. The second is a light 'bin', not 'bine'. English speakers get it right on first sight, and the spelling gives no trouble in French or German either.
- Corb — The most direct clip, used informally among friends and family.
- Corby — Softer everyday form; also exists independently as an English surname and place name.
- Cor — A one-syllable household shortening, rarely used outside the family.
- Bin — Occasional playground shortening; worth knowing it exists before someone else finds it.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Alonzo if you want…
- a name with more sound in itAlonzo runs 3 syllables, Corbin 2
- a long American recordAlonzo was already in use when US records began in 1880
Choose Corbin if you want…
- a name past its most crowded yearsCorbin is stepping back from its peak
- a name with fewer syllablesCorbin is 2 syllables to Alonzo's 3
- a newer arrivalCorbin entered the US charts in 1891
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Alonzo
Strengths
- A documented line running from Visigothic Iberia through the medieval Spanish and Portuguese kings to the present — few names have a record that clear.
- Sits comfortably in English and Spanish alike, with close relatives in Italian, Portuguese, French and German.
- Ready-made short forms already in real use: Lonzo, Zo, Lonnie, Al.
To consider
- Alonzo and Alonso are both established spellings, so expect a lifetime of gentle corrections — the z version will get written with an s and vice versa.
- It is strongly represented among older generations, which means most people who know an Alonzo know a grown man rather than a child. That fades as any name comes back around, but it is true right now.
- A child with this name will most likely be the only one wherever he goes. That is a real pleasure for some families and a small burden for others — being the only one means always being the one who explains.
Corbin
Strengths
- Reads and says itself: one obvious pronunciation from the spelling, and one obvious spelling from the sound — apart from the Corbyn and Korbin variants.
- On US records for well over a century, so it carries none of the strangeness of a recent invention.
- Fits the established surname-as-first-name pattern alongside Colton, Camden and Weston, without being one of the crowded ones.
To consider
- Corbyn, Korbin and Corben all circulate, so expect an occasional 'how do you spell that' even though the sound is unmistakable.
- Corbett, Colby and Corbin get mixed up by ear, especially over the phone or in a noisy room.
- The name has been stepping back from its high point, which means most people carrying it now are teenagers and young adults rather than babies — a slightly dated ring for a few years, then not.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Alonzo and Corbin in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
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More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
- Victorian names ready for a second century
- Names with a Z in them
- The names with the most spellings
- Names ending in -in
- all guides
Where Alonzo and Corbin each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Alonzo or Corbin — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Alonzo or Corbin?
- Alonzo, in 2025: Alonzo ranked #511 with 590 babies; Corbin ranked #512 with 586 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Alonzo or Corbin?
- Neither is rising. Over the last five years Alonzo moved down 34 places; Corbin moved down 165 places.
- Which is the older name, Alonzo or Corbin?
- Alonzo was already in use when US records began in 1880; Corbin entered the US charts in 1891. On the American record, Alonzo is the older name.
- How many people are named Alonzo and Corbin?
- About 32,000 people named Alonzo are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 40,000 people named Corbin are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Alonzos or Corbins in the classroom?
- Alonzo will almost certainly be the only one in school. Corbin will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
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