boy's name
Francisco
fran-SIS-koh
- Origin Spanish
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 3
- Letters 9
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 152,102
the United States
#323
2025 births
Francisco means Frenchman, and Saint Francis was given it as a nickname — his father traded in France and called him the little Frenchman. It was not his baptismal name at all, which was Giovanni.
- Francisco is a name of Spanish origin.
- Peaked in 1993, when 2,995 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 3,101 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 3 syllables, with the stress on syllable 2.
Francisco 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 | 215 |
| 1890s | 227 |
| 1900s | 427 |
| 1910s | 1,658 |
| 1920s | 4,333 |
| 1930s | 3,387 |
| 1940s | 4,192 |
| 1950s | 7,371 |
| 1960s | 8,673 |
| 1970s | 14,803 |
| 1980s | 20,293 |
| 1990s | 28,951 |
| 2000s | 26,580 |
| 2010s | 15,283 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 6,753 |
What Francisco means
Francisco means a Frenchman, or free man. The word carries both because the Franks who gave France its name held the privileged free status in the land they ruled.
Where Francisco comes from
Francisco is the Spanish and Portuguese form of Francis, from the Late Latin Franciscus — a Frenchman, from the Frankish tribe. The saint who made it a name was baptized Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone; his father, a cloth merchant who traded in France, called him Francesco, the little Frenchman, and the nickname displaced the name entirely. Everything else follows from that: the Franciscan order, San Francisco, and the pope who took the name in 2013 — all from a merchant's affectionate byname for his son.
Francisco in use
Francisco peaked in the United States in 1993, when 2,995 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now ranks 323rd in the United States on 1,069 births, 797th in Ireland, 1053rd in England and Wales on 29 and 1232nd in France on 30, across 152,102 lifetime births in five of the seven markets we track. Its American position is the second-highest in this group, behind only Mackenzie.
How popular is Francisco?
In 2025, Francisco was given to 1,069 babies in the United States, ranking #323 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Francisco 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 Francisco
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Francisco also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Francisco over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Francisco
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.
Francisco 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 Francisco
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Francisco — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Francisco
What does the name Francisco mean?
A Frenchman — from the Frankish tribe, which also gives the sense free.
Was Saint Francis really called Francis?
No. He was baptized Giovanni; his father, who traded in France, nicknamed him the little Frenchman.
Is San Francisco named after him?
Yes, and so is the Franciscan order — all from that merchant's byname.
How popular is Francisco?
323rd in the United States, its strongest market.
Is Francisco a girl's or a boy's name?
Francisco is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Francisco?
Francisco has 3 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Francisco?
Francisco is usually shortened to Paco and Cisco.
Is Francisco a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Francisco currently ranks #323 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.