girl's name
Fanny
FAN-ee (English)
- Origin French
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 91,880
Fanny means Frenchwoman, shortened from Frances — and it fell out of English-speaking use for reasons of slang while remaining an ordinary name in France, which is why France still ranks it 1,059th. It holds 91,880 lifetime births on record.
- Fanny is a name of French origin.
- Peaked in France in 1987, when 3,305 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade in France.
- Today about 1 in 16,843 babies in France is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1900.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Fanny Over Time
Births per decade in France, 1900s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, which so far covers 2020 to 2025.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 1,345 |
| 1910s | 750 |
| 1920s | 670 |
| 1930s | 550 |
| 1940s | 360 |
| 1950s | 560 |
| 1960s | 1,160 |
| 1970s | 11,440 |
| 1980s | 27,650 |
| 1990s | 22,355 |
| 2000s | 10,250 |
| 2010s | 2,975 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 410 |
What Fanny Means
Fanny means a Frenchwoman, or free one, carried from Frances. The word carries both because the Franks held the privileged free status in the land they ruled.
Where Fanny Comes From
Fanny is a pet form of Frances, from the Late Latin Franciscus — a Frenchman, from the Frankish tribe, whose name became the word for free because only Franks held full liberty under their rule. It was an ordinary English name into the nineteenth century, borne by Fanny Burney and Austen's Fanny Price, before slang senses made it unusable in Britain and then America. French was unaffected, which is the whole reason for the market split birth records show.
Fanny in Use
Fanny peaked in France in 1987, when 3,305 babies were registered, and is falling. It charts in three markets — 1,059th in France on 35 births, 2,369th in Canada and 6,442nd in the United States on 18 — across 91,880 lifetime births. The gap between those two positions is a direct measure of a slang sense that exists in one language and not the other.
How Popular Is Fanny?
In 2025, Fanny was given to 35 babies in France. It is a rare choice.
Where Fanny Is Used
French counts are rounded to the nearest five and nothing below five is published, so these figures show the shape of the name's use rather than an exact tally. Data & sources.
Names That Peaked Alongside Fanny
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents Who Like Fanny Also Like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Fanny over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
How to Say Fanny
- English FAN-ee /ˈfæn.i/
Fanny in Other Languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Greek
- Fani
Sibling Names for Fanny
Names from the same era that do not rhyme or share an initial with Fanny — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common Questions About Fanny
What does the name Fanny mean?
A Frenchwoman — carried from Frances, and behind that the Frankish tribe.
Why is Fanny rare in English now?
Slang senses made it unusable in Britain and then America. French was unaffected.
Was Fanny once ordinary?
Entirely — Fanny Burney and Austen's Fanny Price both carried it in the nineteenth century.
How popular is Fanny?
1,059th in France against 6,442nd in the United States.
Is Fanny a girl's or a boy's name?
Fanny is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Fanny?
Fanny has 2 syllables.
Is Fanny a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Fanny currently ranks #1,059 in France. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.