Frances

Meaning: The French one; free
Origin: French (from Latin via Old French) — Via the Franks · The free interpretation comes from the earlier root

Nicknames: Frankie, Fran, Fannie, Fay, Fanny

Girl's name · #318 in the US (2025) · Timeless

Popularity over time

Few names move less than Frances — on the books since 1880, #318 in 2025, and dependable in between. Roughly 596,000 girls share it. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records.

Across the states

See where Frances is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 42 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Frances ranks in other countries and regions.

#236 in Belgium (2025) · #236 in New Zealand (2025) · #271 in Sweden (2025) · #380 in England & Wales (2025) · #874 in Scotland (2025) · #464 in Canada (2024).

Famous Franceses

Frances McDormand — American actress
Frances Arnold — Nobel prize winning US scientist and engineer (born 1956)
Frances Hodgson Burnett — English-American playwright and author (1849–1924)
Frances Marion — American journalist, author, film director and screenwriter (1888–1973)
Frances Allen — American computer scientist (1932–2020)

In stories & tradition

Frances James — Winners & Losers (TV series)
Frances Williams — The Cocoanuts (musical stage work)

What Franceses become

Among 1,422 notable people named Frances:

Artists & writers appear 2× more often than among typical names — e.g. Frances Hodgson Burnett, English-American playwright and author (1849–1924).

Spellings & nicknames

About 540 girls a year are given Frankie as their full name.

Similar names: Sylvia · Francesca · Rosemary · Frankie · Priscilla · Rosie

Browse more girl names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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