Who is Alphonse and what is the meaning of A lphonse?

the name Alphonse to me is from the hit anime series Full Metal Alchemist. he is the younger brother of Edward elric.... his full name is Alphonse elric. hiromu arakawa got the name alphonse from a famous french painter. (btw, she got edward's name [edward] from the movie Edward Scissor Hands)