Frank

Diminutive of Francis or Franklin
"Frenchman or free man"

Frank Origin and Meaning

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

A Top 10 name from the 1880s until the 1920s, Frank has been falling for decades but last year reversed course for the first time in a century, edging up the popularity list a few notches. And Frank still has a certain warm, friendly real-guy grandpa flavor that could come back into style, like other such choices as Jake and Jack.

Maybe thanks to Sinatra, it's become a new hipster favorite with such couples as Diana Krall and Elvis Costello. Along with Sinatra, Frank has a wide variety of interesting namesakes, including architects Frank Lloyd Wright and Frank Gehry, artist Frank Stella, director Frank Capra, musician Frank Zappa, and Muppeteer/director Frank Oz, to name a few. Musician Frank Ocean was born Christopher Breaux.

It's worth noting that despite its long decline, Frank has always remained in the Top 500 for boys. Also, the newly-cool girls' nickname-name Frankie may have given brother Frank a style boost.

# 468 in the US

Frank Rank in US Top 1000

# 373 on Nameberry

Frank Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Frank Popularity

Famous People Named Frank

  • Frank Fabra
    Colombian footballer
  • Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra
    American singer and actor
  • Frank Anthony Wilczek
    American physicist & Nobel prize winner
  • (Lyman) Frank Baum
    American children's novelist
  • Frank Joslyn Baum
    American novelist & film producer; son of L. Frank Baum
  • Frank Billings Kellogg
    45th U.S. Secretary of State
  • Frank Macfarlane Burnet
    Australian virologist and Nobel Prize winner
  • Frank Sherwood Rowland
    American chemist and Nobel Prize winner
  • Frank Vincent Zappa
    American musician
  • Frank Langella
    American actor
  • Frank Edwin Wright III
    aka Tre Cool, American musician of Green Day
  • Frank Anthony Iero
    American musician of My Chemical Romance and The Cellabration
  • Christopher Francis "Frank" Ocean (born Christopher Edwin Breaux)
    American singer,songwriter
  • Frank William Zombo
    American football player
  • Franklin Delano "Frank" Gore
    American football player
  • Frank Tayo Omiyale
    American football player
  • Frank "Grey Wolf" Salsedo
    Native American actor
  • Francis Edward "Frank" Turner
    English singer,songwriter
  • Frank Black aka Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV
    American singer,songwriter of Black Francis and The Pixies
  • Frank Frederick Borman Jr.
    American astronaut
  • Jonah Frank King
    son of journalists Dana Bash and John King
  • Frank Fritz
    American antiquer and TV personality ("American Pickers")
  • Frank Dillane
    English actor
  • Frank Harlan James Costello (b. 2006)
    son of English musician Elvis Costello and Canadian jazz pianist and singer Diana Krall
  • Frank Gioia
    aka CrankthatFrank, American YouTuber

Frank in Pop Culture

  • Frank Reynolds
    character on FXX's "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia"
  • Francis "Frank" Underwood
    character on Netflix's "House of Cards"
  • Frank Zhang
    son of Mars in the Heroes of Olympus series
  • Frank Hardy
    one of the Hardy Boys, brother of Joe Hardy
  • Frank Sunderland
    character in the game "Silent Hill 4"
  • Frank Colridge
    character in the game "Silent Hill: Downpour"
  • Frank Breitkopf
    character on CBS' "Criminal Minds"
  • Frank Barone
    character on CBS' "Everybody Loves Raymond"
  • Frank Blossom
    character from ITV's "The Worst Witch"
  • Frank Jackson
    character in movie "Big Fat Liar"
  • Frank Hargate
    main character in G. A. Henty's "By Sheer Pluck"
  • Frank
    character in movie "The Invention of Lying"
  • Frank 'Grimey' Grimes
    one,time character on "The Simpsons"
  • Frank Jameson
    character in novelette "Beguiling" by Liam Holt
  • Frank
    1st King of Narnia in 'The Magician's Nephew' by C.S. Lewis
  • Francis "Frank" Delfino
    character on ABC's "How to Get Away with Murder"
  • Frank Wheatley
    character in the film "Sling Blade"
  • Frank Sahwit
    character from 'Ace Attorney'
  • Frank Reagan
    character on CBS' "Blue Bloods"
  • Frank Kennedy
    character from "Gone with the Wind"
  • Frank Wyatt
    main character in G. A. Henty's "Through Russian Snows"
  • Frank Longbottom
    Neville Longbottom's father in the Harry Potter Series
  • Frank Castle A.K.A. The Punisher
    character from Marvel Comics
  • Vernon Francis "Frank" Gallagher
    main character on Showtime's "Shameless"
  • Frank Vanderboom
    character in Rusty Lake: Roots
  • Frank Heffley
    a character from Diary of a Wimpy Kid
  • Frank Lambert
    character on ABC TGIF sitcom "Step by Step"
  • Frank Columbo
    main character on the crime drama series "Columbo" from Wikipedia it says about the character of Columbo that:
  • "Columbo's first name has never officially been identified
    although the name "Frank Columbo" has been visible on pieces of identification throughout the show's history."
  • Frank Drebin
    main character in "The Naked Gun" Film series, played by Leslie Nielsen
  • Frank Cross
    main character in the 1988 Christmas Comedy Film "Scrooged"