Frances

Frances: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“from France; free one”
Origin
Latin
Say it
FRAN-sis · 2 syllables
Used for
Girls

English feminine form of Francis, from Late Latin Franciscus. The name ultimately referred to a Frank or French person, and later connected with the idea of freedom through the tribal name of the Franks.

How popular is Frances?

2024249 per million US babies
1880192019602000
Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Babies named Frances in 2024829

2024 rank#379 girls

Peak year1911

Total US babies since 1880599,746

Frances is rising: use over the last five years is 2.2× what it was a decade earlier.

Names like Frances

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • FranciscoFrenchman, free man · Spanish
  • FrankFrenchman; free man · Germanic
  • FrancisFrenchman; free man · Latin
  • Fanniefrom France; free one · Latin
  • Camilayoung ceremonial attendant · Latin
  • Lunamoon · Latin
  • Auroradawn · Latin
  • Emilyrival · Latin

Frances questions

What does the name Frances mean?

Frances means "from France; free one". It comes from Latin. English feminine form of Francis, from Late Latin Franciscus. The name ultimately referred to a Frank or French person, and later connected with the idea of freedom through the tribal name of the Franks.

Is Frances a boy or girl name?

Frances is mainly a girl's name in US records (99% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Frances?

829 US babies were named Frances in 2024. Its peak year was 1911.

How do you pronounce Frances?

Frances is usually pronounced FRAN-sis.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.