Frances
99% girls · 1% boys
About Frances
Frances, a soft and gentle classic last popular a hundred years ago, is trending again. The cool nickname Frankie is one reason for the revival of Frances, adding lightness and sass to a serious name. Frances is the feminine form of Francis, the English variation of the Latin name Franciscus. Franciscus, meaning "Frenchman," was taken from the Germanic tribe the Franks, which got its name from the francisca, the axe they used in battle. Until the seventeenth century, the spellings Frances and Francis were used interchangeably for both sexes.
More recently, Frances started receiving new attention when it was chosen in the early 90s by Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love for their only child. It's been by such stylish parents as Jimmy Fallon and Amanda Peet (who nicknamed her daughter Frankie).
Frances was a favorite of the Tudor aristocracy after being given to Henry VII's granddaughter. St. Frances (Mother) Cabrini was the first American citizen to be canonized.
Some of the best known pop culture bearers of the name were known by diminutives—the Franny of J.D. Salinger's Franny and Zooey, Francie in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Frankie in A Member of the Wedding, Baby in Dirty Dancing, and Gidget in Gidget. Traditional nickname Fran feels a bit bland and Fanny, though possessing some eighteenth century charm, is unusable in Britain and Australia where it is slang for female genitalia.
Frances is the endearing badger in the childhood favorite Bedtime for Frances and other Frances books.
Among well known bearers are Frances Perkins, Secretary of Labor in the Roosevelt era; actresses McDormand, Dee, Farmer, and Fisher; journalist Fitzgerald; and writers Burney and Hodgson Burnett.
Frances was the abandoned first name of Judy Garland, Dinah Shore, and Dale Evans.
Some attractive foreign versions are the increasingly popular Francesca, Francoise, Franca, Fanya, and Francine.
Frances began trending upward before Pope Francis was named in 2013, but that helped propel it up further than this somewhat sedate classic name might have gone on its own.
Frances is also given to boys, where it ranks #11112 in the US.
Pronounced FRAN-sis.
As of October 2026, Frances ranked #318 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #8 in 1918, Nameberry popularity #180.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank · girls | Births · girls | US rank · boys | Births · boys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #603 | 484 | — | 0 |
| 2015 | #513 | 613 | — | 0 |
| 2016 | #447 | 721 | — | 0 |
| 2017 | #437 | 730 | — | 0 |
| 2018 | #442 | 723 | — | 0 |
| 2019 | #438 | 718 | — | 0 |
| 2020 | #418 | 744 | — | 0 |
| 2021 | #392 | 801 | — | 0 |
| 2022 | #419 | 755 | — | 0 |
| 2023 | #405 | 760 | — | 0 |
| 2024 | #379 | 821 | — | 0 |
| 2025 | #318 | 960 | — | 0 |
World rankings
Frances for girls
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Frances.
Frances on lists
Famous Francess
- Frances Elena FarmerGirl
American actress
- Frances Ann O'ConnorGirl
Australian actress
- Saint Frances of RomeGirl
Italian mystic and oblate
- Frances GreyGirl
Duchess of Suffolk, mother of Lady Jane Grey
- Frances NewtonGirl
Lady Cobham, Lady of the Bedchamber to England's Queen Elizabeth I
- Frances RadclyffeGirl
Countess of Sussex, Lady of the Bedchamber to England's Queen Elizabeth I
- Frances CustisGirl
daughter of U.S. First Lady Martha Washington and Daniel Custis
- Frances Kathleen Oldham KelseyGirl
pharmacologist and physician of the FDA who refused to authorize Thalidomide
- Frances "Fanny" NelsonGirl
Viscountess Nelson, wife of Admiral Horatio Nelson
- Frances Elizabeth Cox (1812Girl
1897), translator of hymn "Jesus Lives!"
- Frances Ridley Havergal (1836Girl
1879), hymnist and composer
- Frances Clara Folsom Cleveland PrestonGirl
U.S. First Lady as wife of President Grover Cleveland
- Frances Scott "Scottie" FitzgeraldGirl
American journalist, daughter of novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald
- Frances Joan DavidsonGirl
Viscountess Davidson , English MP
- Frances Louise McDormandGirl
American actress
- Frances FitzGeraldGirl
American journalist and author
- Frances Hodgson BurnettGirl
English children's novelist
- Frances Elizabeth Caroline WillardGirl
American suffragist
- Fannie Coralie "Frances" PerkinsGirl
U.S. Secretary of Labor, first woman cabinet member
- Frances Ethel GummGirl
birth name of American actress Judy Garland
- Frances Marie BurkeGirl
Miss America 1940
- Frances Teresa StewartGirl
Duchess of Richmond and Lennox aka La Belle Stuart, model of Britannia
- Frances Anne VaneGirl
Viscountess Vane, English memoirist
- Frances MayesGirl
American novelist
- Frances Hardman ConroyGirl
American actress
- Frances BlackGirl
Irish singer
- Frances BurneyGirl
English novelist
- Eleanor Frances CallierGirl
American actress
- Frances Pen "Frankie" BenioffGirl
daughter of actress Amanda Peet
- Frances McKeeGirl
Scottish musician of band The Vaselines
- Frances Hussey SternhaganGirl
American actress
- Diana Frances SpencerGirl
Princess of Wales
- Frances GriffithsGirl
English photographer of the Cottingley Fairies
- Frances YipGirl
Hong Kong pop singer
- Frances Clementine Suplee (b. 2006)Girl
daughter of American actor Ethan Suplee
- Frances "Frankie" Pen Friedman (b. 2007)Girl
daughter of American actress Amanda Peet
- Frances Cole Fallon (b. 2014)Girl
daughter of comedian Jimmy Fallon
- Frances Harper Wyle (b. 2015)Girl
daughter of American actor Noah Wyle
- Frances Bean CobainGirl
daughter of musicians Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love
- Frances Laiz Setta Schenkkan (b. 2016)Girl
daughter of Brazilian,American actress Morena Baccarin and American actor Ben McKenzie
- Frances Afifi (b. 2016)Girl
daughter of actress Sarah Chalke
Frances in pop culture
- Frances "FrankieGirl
" character in "Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends"
- FrancesGirl
character in "Sonic X"
- Frances 'Frankie' AddamsGirl
character in "The Member of the Wedding" by Carson McCullers
- Francis BonnefoyGirl
character in "Hetalia"
- Frances "Franny" GlassGirl
character in "Franny and Zooey" by J.D. Salinger
- Frances HalladayGirl
character in "Frances Ha"
- Frances "Frankie" HeckGirl
character on 'The Middle'
- Frances HindleyGirl
character in "Wuthering Heights" by Emily Bronte
- Frances "Baby" HousemanGirl
character in "Dirty Dancing"
- Frances MidfordGirl
character in anime Kuroshitsuji/Black Butler
- Mary Frances "Francie" NolanGirl
character in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
- Frances "Frankie" Almond SmithGirl
character in "The Hole" and "After the Hole"
- Frances "Francie" StevensGirl
character in "To Catch A Thief"
- Frances WatersGirl
character in the "St Clare" book series by Enid Blyton
- Bedtime for FrancesGirl
children's book series by Russell Hoban
- Frances "Frank" ReaganGirl
character in Blue Bloods
- Frances "Frankie" Kane aka MagentaGirl
character in DC Universe
- FrancesGirl
character in short story "Fostered" by Tina Tirrell
- Frances "Frankie" PereiraGirl
character in Blue Valentine
Variations & nicknames
- FanGirl
- FanceyGirl
- FanchetteGirl
- FancieGirl
- FancyGirl
- FanechkaGirl
- FaniGirl
- FaniaGirl
- FanniGirl
- FanniaGirl
- FannieGirl
- FannyGirl
- FranGirl
- FranceGirl
- FranceenGirl
- FranciGirl
- FrancieGirl
- FrancilleGirl
- FrancinaGirl
- FranciqueGirl
- FrancisGirl
- FrancysGirl
- FrankiGirl
- FrankieGirl
- FrankyGirl
- FranniGirl
- FrannieGirl
- FrannyGirl
- FransabelleGirl
- FranzeGirl
- FranzettaGirl
- FranziGirl
- FroniaGirl