girl's name
Frances
FRAN-sis
- Origin Latin
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 7
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 609,630
the United States
#318
2025 births
Frances is a girl's name meaning a Frank, or a free one, and the feminine of Francis. Like Walter it peaked in 1918 and is reviving now, and the two sit within seventy places of each other in England and Wales — a matched pair a century on.
- Frances is a name of Latin origin.
- Peaked in 1918, when 16,229 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
- Today about 1 in 3,432 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Frances over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 9,321 |
| 1890s | 18,245 |
| 1900s | 28,721 |
| 1910s | 106,323 |
| 1920s | 141,498 |
| 1930s | 93,042 |
| 1940s | 85,953 |
| 1950s | 51,604 |
| 1960s | 25,269 |
| 1970s | 11,511 |
| 1980s | 8,656 |
| 1990s | 6,179 |
| 2000s | 4,012 |
| 2010s | 5,504 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 4,883 |
What Frances means
Frances means a Frank, a member of the Germanic people who gave France its name, and by extension a free person. The freedom sense comes from the Franks' legal status in conquered Gaul rather than from any abstract quality.
Where Frances comes from
Frances is the feminine of Francis, from the Latin Franciscus, meaning a Frank. The Franks were a Germanic confederation who took Gaul and gave it their name, and because only Franks held full freedom in the territory they ruled, franc came to mean free — the source of the English frank, meaning candid, and of franchise. Saint Francis of Assisi was not christened Francis: he was Giovanni, and his father nicknamed him Francesco, the little Frenchman, apparently for his love of French songs. The feminine reached English in the sixteenth century, and the e and i spellings divide the sexes — Frances female, Francis male — a convention that only settled in the eighteenth century.
Frances in use
Frances peaked in the United States in 1918, when 16,229 babies were registered, and our data marks it reviving. It now ranks 318th in the United States on 966 births, 380th in England and Wales on 112 and 594th in Scotland, across 609,630 lifetime births. It shares its exact peak year with Walter and both are recovering together, which is the clearest sign in our data that the current vintage revival is reaching names last common around the First World War.
How popular is Frances?
In 2025, Frances was given to 966 babies in the United States, ranking #318 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Frances is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Frances
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Frances also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Frances over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Frances
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Frances 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.
Sibling names for Frances
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Frances — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Frances
What does the name Frances mean?
A Frank, and by extension a free person — from the Germanic people who gave France its name.
Is it Frances or Francis?
Frances with an e is the female spelling, Francis with an i the male. The convention settled in the eighteenth century.
Was Saint Francis named Francis?
No. He was christened Giovanni, and his father nicknamed him Francesco, the little Frenchman.
Is Frances coming back?
Our data marks it reviving — 318th in the United States and 380th in England and Wales, after a 1918 peak.
How popular is the name Frances?
In 2025, Frances was given to 966 babies in the United States, ranking #318 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Frances a girl's or a boy's name?
Frances is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Frances?
Frances has 2 syllables.
When was Frances most popular?
Frances peaked in 1918, when 16,229 babies were given the name. After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
What are the nicknames for Frances?
Frances is usually shortened to Fran and Frankie.
Is Frances a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Frances currently ranks #318 in the United States. After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.