Frances
Frances was the 318th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 960 babies. Its best year was 1918, when it ranked 8th with 16,132 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 195 places. More babies were named Frances in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning Frenchwoman (feminine of Francis) · Latin, English
Say it FRAN-sis /ˈfrænsɪs/
- Rank in 2025
- #318 girls, up 100 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 960girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 191816,132 babies
- Total since 1880
- 600,721babies recorded
What does the name Frances mean?
Frances is the English feminine of Francis, from Latin Francisca, "Frankish woman, Frenchwoman". DMNES notes that the name was almost unknown before the 14th century and more common on the Continent than in England before the 1500s; the 15th-century Saint Frances of Rome was a key bearer. It became common in England in the 16th century and was a leading US name in the early 20th century.
Francisca (Latin, “Frankish woman”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Francis, Francesca, Frankie, Fran, Fanny.
See also: Latin names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Frances', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Frances', DMNES, Durham University
Nicknames for Frances
The usual nicknames for Frances are Fran, Frankie, Frannie and Fanny. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 girls named Frances in the last five years, 66 were named Frankie, against 23 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Girls, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fran · also for Francesca, Francis, Francine | Traditional | — | — |
| Frankie · also for Francisco, Francesca, Franklin | Traditional | #552 | 2,696 |
| Frannie · also for Francesca, Francine | Traditional | — | — |
| Fanny | Traditional | #6,397 | 112 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Francess go by each one.
Frances popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 5,024 since 1880, 6 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #318 | 960 |
| 2020 | #418 | 744 |
| 2010 | #769 | 356 |
| 2000 | #572 | 454 |
| 1990 | #351 | 759 |
| 1980 | #267 | 938 |
| 1970 | #199 | 1,627 |
| 1960 | #127 | 3,590 |
| 1950 | #51 | 6,975 |
| 1940 | #28 | 8,621 |
| 1930 | #16 | 10,644 |
| 1920 | #9 | 15,883 |
| 1910 | #11 | 4,448 |
| 1900 | #26 | 2,495 |
| 1890 | #33 | 1,416 |
| 1880 | #42 | 605 |
How popular is Frances, counting every spelling?
Frances is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #345 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #318 for Frances on its own. Together these spellings went to 960 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frances | 960 | #318 | 4,105 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Frances?
960 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Frances (0.27 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Frances born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 9 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Frances.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Frances?
About 169,700 people born in the US named Frances are alive today, with a median age of 73; half are between 59 and 82. That makes Frances a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Frances by state
How common Frances was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in District of Columbia (7.3×), Maine (4.5×), Oregon (2.9×), Alabama (2.8×), Minnesota (2.3×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Florida, Idaho, Texas.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Frances: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Frances, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Frances · Sibling names for Frances
Questions about the name Frances
What does Frances mean?
Frances means “Frenchwoman (feminine of Francis)” (Latin, English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Frances?
Frances was the 318th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 960 babies. Its best year was 1918, when it ranked 8th with 16,132 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 195 places. More babies were named Frances in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Frances a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Frances in the US.
Where is Frances most popular?
In 2021–2025, Frances was most common in District of Columbia (3.71 per 1,000 girls), followed by Vermont and Maine.