Francis

Latin
"Frenchman or free man"

Francis Origin and Meaning

The name Francis is a boy's name of Latin origin meaning "Frenchman or free man".

Since this was the name chosen by the current Roman Catholic pope, Francis has come into the spotlight.

The name, which was in the Top 10 at the turn of the last century, has been pretty much confined to Irish and Italian Catholics -- think F. (Francis) Scott Fitzgerald, Francis Albert Sinatra, Francis Ford Coppola -- for decades, and still has a somewhat starchy feel. But with its similarity to the increasingly popular female Frances, and its recent newsworthiness, we can see it making a possible comeback beyond those worlds. And in fact, the name has risen a bit in the charts since its all-time low of 680 in 2009.

Animal-loving parents might be inspired by the connection to Saint Francis of Assisi (born Giovanni), who was said to be able to communicate with animals and was made the patron saint of ecology. Another Francis, Saint Francis de Sales, is the patron saint of writers and editors.

# 458 in the US

Francis Rank in US Top 1000

# 291 on Nameberry

Francis Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Francis Popularity

Famous People Named Francis

  • Francis I and II
    Kings of France
  • Francis I (Francis Stephen) and Francis II
    Holy Roman Emperors
  • Francis I (Francesco Gennaro Giuseppe) and Francis II (Francesco d'Assisi Maria Leopoldo)
    Kings of the Two Sicilies
  • Francis Xavier
    Spanish cofounder of the Society of Jesus
  • Francis Rous (1579
    1658), Puritan, hymnist
  • Francis de Sales
    Bishop of Geneva
  • Francis Nash
    American Revolutionary general
  • Francis Scott Key
    American poet; writer of the U.S. National Anthem
  • Francis Minden Knollis (1815
    1863), hymnist
  • Francis Sheehy
    Skeffington, Irish writer, activist and pacifist
  • Francis Taylor
    American art dealer; father of Elizabeth Taylor
  • Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra
    American pop singer and actor
  • Francis Crozier
    Anglo,Irish officer of the Royal Navy, polar explorer, and researcher
  • Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio)
    current Pope
  • Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald
    American novelist
  • Francis Bacon
    1st Viscount St Alban, English philosopher and statesman
  • Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc
    French composer
  • Francis Harry Compton Crick
    English scientist who discovered DNA structure
  • Francis Ford Coppola
    American film director
  • Francis Fukuyama
    American political scientist
  • Francis "Hill" Harper
    American actor
  • (Francis) Jameson Parker Jr.
    American actor
  • Francis Bouillon
    American hockey player
  • Francis Galton
    English polymath
  • Christopher Francis "Frank" Ocean
    American musician
  • Francis William Aston
    English chemist; winner of the Nobel Prize
  • Francis Peyton Rous
    American virologist; winner of the Nobel Prize
  • Francis "Coyote" Shivers
    Canadian musician/actor
  • Francis Jonathan (b. 2009)
    son of actress Ashley Jensen

Francis in Pop Culture

  • Francis Abernathy
    character in Donna Tartt's "The Secret History"
  • Francis Bonnefoy
    personification of France in "Axis Powers: Hetalia"
  • Francis Dolarhyde
    character in book/movie "Red Dragon"
  • Francis
    Malcolm's oldest brother on TV's "Malcolm in the Middle"
  • Francis Gage
    character on TV's "Walker, Texas Ranger"
  • Francis
    Prince of France on TV's "Reign"
  • Francis "Frank" Underwood
    character on TV's "House of Cards"
  • Francis the Talking Mule
    character in several films
  • Francis Griffin
    Peter's dad on TV's "Family Guy"
  • Francis Ray Ottoman
    character in webcomic PvP
  • Francis
    character in video game "Left 4 Dead"
  • Francis
    character in movie "Spy Kids 3,D: Game Over"
  • Francis
    main cat character in "Felidae" by Akif Pirinçci
  • Francis
    ladybug character Pixar's "A Bug's Life"
  • Francis Freeman
    character in movie "Deadpool"
  • Francis "Frank" Delfino
    character in "How to Get Away with Murder"
  • Francis "Frank" Moses
    character in "RED"
  • Francis Farewell Starlite
    musician and producer of "Francis and the Lights"
  • Francis de Saint
    Germain, immortal character in Michael Scott's "The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel"