Frank
Frank was the 514th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 584 babies. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked 6th; the most babies were born in 1918 (17,018). Over the last ten years it has moved down 159 places. More babies were named Frank in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning a Frank; free · Germanic, Latin
Say it FRANGK /fræŋk/
- Rank in 2025
- #514 boys, down 86 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 584boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 191817,018 babies
- Total since 1880
- 920,589babies recorded
What does the name Frank mean?
Frank comes from the Franks, the Germanic people who gave France its name. DMNES records Latin Francus and German Franko, "a Frank, a Frenchman", from the 11th century. Bardsley notes the surname as "the frank", meaning free. Wiktionary adds that Frank is also a short form of Francis and has been a formal given name since the 19th century.
Francus (Latin, “a Frank”)franc (Old French, “free”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Francis, Franklin, Frankie, Franco.
See also: Latin names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Frank', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Frank', DMNES, Durham University
- Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (1901), s.v. 'Frank', Henry Frowde (public domain; Internet Archive scan)
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
Nicknames for Frank
The usual nicknames for Frank are Frankie. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Frank in the last five years, 33 were named Frankie, against 16 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frankie · also for Francisco, Francesca, Franklin | Traditional | #922 | 1,078 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Franks go by each one.
Frank popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 4,611 since 1880.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #514 | 584 |
| 2020 | #428 | 694 |
| 2010 | #302 | 1,077 |
| 2000 | #209 | 1,708 |
| 1990 | #109 | 3,188 |
| 1980 | #81 | 3,734 |
| 1970 | #48 | 6,805 |
| 1960 | #40 | 10,755 |
| 1950 | #29 | 11,606 |
| 1940 | #20 | 10,595 |
| 1930 | #13 | 12,535 |
| 1920 | #9 | 16,430 |
| 1910 | #8 | 3,768 |
| 1900 | #8 | 3,477 |
| 1890 | #6 | 3,078 |
| 1880 | #6 | 3,242 |
How popular is Frank, counting every spelling?
Frank is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #514 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together. Together these spellings went to 584 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frank | 584 | #514 | 3,291 |
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 Frank?
584 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Frank (0.16 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Frank 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 14 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Frank.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Frank?
About 333,100 people born in the US named Frank are alive today, with a median age of 63; half are between 47 and 74. That makes Frank 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.
Frank by state
How common Frank was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New Jersey (2.7×), Connecticut (2.3×), New York (1.9×), Nevada (1.8×), Illinois (1.8×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Oklahoma, Iowa, Nebraska.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Frank: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Frank, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Frank · Sibling names for Frank
Frank is also a nickname for Francisco, Franklin and Francis.
Questions about the name Frank
What does Frank mean?
Frank means “a Frank; free” (Germanic, Latin origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Frank?
Frank was the 514th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 584 babies. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked 6th; the most babies were born in 1918 (17,018). Over the last ten years it has moved down 159 places. More babies were named Frank in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Frank a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Frank in the US.
Where is Frank most popular?
In 2021–2025, Frank was most common in New Jersey (1.02 per 1,000 boys), followed by Connecticut and Rhode Island.