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Frances

♀ Girl

Pronounced FRAN-sez /ˈfræn.sɪz/High

Meaning: Feminine form of Francis, from the Latin Franciscus, meaning 'Frenchman' or 'free one', ultimately derived from the Germanic Franks, whose name may mean 'free'.High

In 30 seconds: Frances is a stately, literary name with centuries of distinguished use — from Saint Francis of Assisi to Frances Hodgson Burnett. It is sophisticated without being fussy, and deeply English.
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Origin HighLatin, French
MeaningFeminine form of Francis, from the Latin Franciscus, meaning 'Frenchman' or 'free one', ultimately derived from the Germanic Franks, whose name may mean 'free'.
U.S. rank (2025)#318 ↗ Rising
2025 U.S. births960 girls (0.05% of U.S. girls)
Peak year1918
Total births (all-time)≈ 595,689

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 191818802025

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

History & Origin

Frances derives from the Latin Franciscus, a medieval Latin term for a Frankish person or someone from France. The Franks were a Germanic tribe whose name possibly meant 'free', giving the name its secondary meaning of 'free one'. Saint Francis of Assisi (1181–1226) gave the masculine form Francis extraordinary popularity across medieval Europe, and the feminine Frances followed as a natural counterpart.

Frances was a top girls' name in England and the United States throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Famous bearers include author Frances Hodgson Burnett (The Secret Garden), actress Frances McDormand, and First Lady Frances Cleveland. The name experienced a decline in the mid-twentieth century but has enjoyed a literary revival in the twenty-first century, appreciated for its classic gravitas and nickname Fran or Franny.

Did you know? Frances (with an 'e') is the feminine spelling, while Francis (with an 'i') is masculine — one of the clearest gender-spelling distinctions in English naming history, though the two were frequently confused in historical records.
Overall data confidence 93%
Oxford Dictionary of First Names — Etymology of Frances and its relation to FrancisSocial Security Administration Name Data — Historical and current US popularity

Variations

FrancisFrancescaFrancineFanny

Nicknames

FranFrannyFrannie

Famous Bearers

  • ★Frances Hodgson Burnett (1849–1924)
    Anglo-American author of The Secret Garden and A Little Princess.
  • ★Frances McDormand (1957–)
    American actress, three-time Academy Award winner.

If you like Frances…

Eleanor— classic early twentieth century English girls' name with a similarly literary, dignified feel
Dorothy— vintage American classic of similar era and cultural prestige
Vivian— two-syllable classic that shares Frances's literary associations and revival appeal

Frequently Asked

What does the name Frances mean?

Frances means 'from France' or 'free one', from the Latin Franciscus, related to the Frankish people.

How do you pronounce Frances?

Frances is pronounced FRAN-sez (/ˈfræn.sɪz/), with two syllables and stress on the first.

Is Frances a boy or girl name?

Frances (with an 'e') is the feminine spelling; Francis (with an 'i') is masculine.

How popular is Frances?

Frances was a top-20 name in the early twentieth century US and has returned to the top 300 in the 2020s as a literary vintage revival.