Frances

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Girl · Latin, through Italian

Frances

Say it: FRAN-siss

Try it with your surname

Meaning

Feminine of Francis, from Latin Franciscus 'Frenchman'.

Certainscholars agree on this meaning.

Came into use in England in the 16th century in noble families.

Its wave through time

Fading since the 1910s

In the United States

596,544 babies given this name since 1880
At its height in 1911, about 1 in 84 girls
746 babies in 2020

Through the ages

Used by

English American French Italian

The family of the name

Other spellings: Francis, Fraunces

Latin	Francisca
French	Françoise
Italian	Francesca
Spanish	Francisca
German	Franziska

Famous bearers

Frances Brandon, Duchess of Suffolk
Frances Walsingham
Frances Perkins, first female US cabinet member

Names worth a look

AliceGirlFrom Old French Aalis, a contraction of Germanic Adalheidis ('noble kind').Middle Ages · peak 1906

JanetGirlA pet form of Jane, from the French diminutive Jeannette.Middle Ages · peak 1942

MarthaGirlAramaic marta, 'lady, mistress'.Biblical · peak 1887

KatherineGirlFrom Greek Aikaterinē, of unknown origin; the link with katharos 'pure' is a later reinterpretation that changed the…Middle Ages · peak 1887

VirginiaGirlFrom the Roman family name Verginius, of uncertain origin, though long associated with Latin virgo 'maiden'.Rome · peak 1922

CatherineGirlGreek Aikaterinē, of unknown origin. Its link to katharos 'pure' is a later folk etymology that changed the Latin…Early Medieval · peak 1909

FrankBoyShort form of Francis, from Latin Franciscus 'Frankish'.Victorian · peak 1880

FrancisBoyFrom Latin Franciscus 'Frenchman'.Renaissance · peak 1915

Where this comes from

Royal and noble genealogies
Parish baptism registers
United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source

Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.

Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.