The baby name Frances feels like a charming antique with a lady-like, refined vibe.
Thanks to Kim for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
BREAD AND JAM
One famous Frances comes to mind: the badger of Russell and Lillian Hoban’s series of children’s books. She’s strong-willed and imaginative, and her family is close-knit and loving. The stories have been favorites since they were first published in the 1960s. (Bread and Jam for Frances is one of the titles.)
Fun fact: in the first draft of the stories, Frances was a vole.
The Jim Henson Company adapted the books for a PBS Kids series in 2008, but it ran for only a few episodes.
Still, Frances – and her baby sister Gloria – remain storybook staples for many children.
FRANCISCUS
But ages before the little badger appeared on bookshelves, this name belonged to a saint – one of the most renowned of the Middle Ages.
Born Giovanni, his merchant father was traveling in France during his birth. Accordingly, the nickname Francesco – meaning Frankish or Frenchman – stuck.
It seems he wasn’t the very first Francis. The future saint was born in 1181; while the name doesn’t appear throughout Europe until the 1300s or so, a few appear prior to Francis’ birth.
No question, though, that Giovanni-turned-Francesco gets credit for the popularity of Francis. He renounced his family’s wealth, devoted himself to the poor, and founded a religious order at Assisi that continues more than eight centuries later.
The baby name Frances tends to be the feminine form in English. But standardized spellings are relatively novel. It’s not until the sixteenth century that Frances regularly appears in use in England.
International forms of the name abound. There’s the Spanish Francisca, identical to the Late Latin form of the name. The Italian Francesca enjoyed some popularity in the 1980s, and again early in the 2000s, but it never quite caught on.
BY THE NUMBERS
But the baby name Frances has had a good run. It ranked in the US Top Ten for girls in much of the 1910s and 20s. It remained a Top 100 favorite through 1955.
When the Hobans named their badger, quite a few young girls might have had the name.
And yet, the name fell steadily beginning in the middle of the twentieth century. By 2007, it hit a low of #828.
FAMOUS FRANCES
Famous and accomplished women named Frances abound.
Let’s start with the British aristocracy. No shortage of woman answered to the classic name, including Frances Newton, Baroness Cobham, known as one of Queen Elizabeth I’s closest friends. There’s also Frances Stewart, Duchess of Richmond, one of the Restoration era’s most noted beauties. She served as the model for Britannia in the 1600s; her image appeared on British coinage into the 1970s.
Lady Diana Frances Spencer became an international celebrity when she married Prince Charles in 1981. The former Princess of Wales remains beloved, more than twenty years after her tragic death.
In American history, nineteenth century activist educator Frances Willard makes it a suffragette name.
Frances Perkins served as Secretary of Labor from 1933 to 1945, the first woman to hold a US Cabinet position and a key part of Roosevelt’s New Deal policies.
They continue over the ages. Author Frances Hodgson Burnett penned classics like The Secret Garden early in the 1900s. A century later, Frances McDormand became a celebrated actor in movies like 1996’s Fargo and 2017’s Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.
FRANKIE and FRANNY
The baby name Frances comes with a complement of sparky nicknames. There’s boyish Frankie and retro Franny, probably the two most commonly heard. Francie, too, works.
Former favorite Fanny, however, is probably best left in the past.
There’s also another Frances you might overlook: Frances Houseman, better known as Baby in the 1987 coming-of-age movie Dirty Dancing.
REVIVAL
Celebrities have embraced Frances for ages. Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love’s daughter Frances Bean is all grown up. Amanda Peet and Brooke Shields have daughters by the name.
Then came 2012, and Greta Gerwig’s successful indie flick Frances Ha. That year, the name rose slightly.
In 2014, Jimmy Fallon named his second daughter Frances Cole. They call her Franny. She’s been in the spotlight on his late night talk show many times since.
As of 2018, the baby name Frances reached #445. That’s still a ways from the name’s former Top Ten status. But it signals that the revival of Frances is well underway.
If you’re crushed that Eleanor and Charlotte are such chart-toppers, the equally classic Frances might be a logical substitute.
What do you think of the baby name Frances? Do you prefer Frances or Francesca?
First published on September 2, 2008, this post was revised substantially and re-published on August 6, 2020.
First Edwin and now Frances … what a great week!!
I have always loved being a Frances. The misspelling can grate at times (“i” for him and “e” for her), but I’m used to spelling it out and emphasising the “e” every time. I have always been hoping it will have some sort of a revival and always excited when I hear of someone naming their baby Frances. Actually I was quite disappointed that Princess Charlotte was not named “Frances Elizabeth” – I think they missed a great opportunity to give the name a boost 🙂
I’ve also loved the Hoban books – I had them all and now my kids enjoy them too. There were many lines frequently quoted to (and now by) me. I love the parents so much now!!
I had two great-uncles named Francis and my husband’s middle name is Francis. I was taught the way to remember the proper spelling was Francis ending in “is” = the i in him, Frances ending in “es” = the e in her.
We didn’t consider naming a daughter Frances (I wasn’t that thrilled with the name and I didn’t have good memories of either of the above-mentioned great-uncles), but I wish we would have given serious thought to the name Francesca. I think that Ceska (the C has the same ch sound as in the full name) is a beautiful nickname for Francesca. Undoubtedly it would have been frequently mispronounced and misspelled.
I’m a second generation Frances after great grandmother on my fathers side.My full name is Frances Elizabeth Beare so it was rather frustrating when people spelt my name with a is instead of es (my mother always said that the es is more feminine the the is) or when they pronuced my last name beer instead of beare.
I now love my name as i find it unique considering how many bethany’s,chole’s and laurens ive met,I know that if i wasnt named Frances i would have been named Florence for my other great grandmother.My sisters names are quite beautiful to as they are called Lucy Jade and Emily Rose – i was always jealous of their names when growing up.
I’m a Frances born in the 1940’s. My father insisted on naming me Frances but couldn’t really say why it was so important to him. He just knew he had to have a Frances. He had been orphaned at the age of 3 and knew nothing about his family. After his death I began doing family research to discover his roots, (he didn’t even know the names of his grandparents) and found that there was a Frances in almost every generation. After all those years of having no knowledge of my father’s family, I felt immediately connected to the past generations through my name.
Sadly, my father never knew the family roots of the name he insisted on giving me…….or did he? Was it somehow buried in his 3 year old subconscious? I like to think so.
At any rate I am thrilled and honored to have such a classy and classic name and knowing that I am one of a long line of Frances’ I couldn’t be happier. Now if my Granddaughter will just have a daughter and name her Frances……
What an amazing story! Thanks for sharing … and I hope you get your Frances, too. 🙂
My name is Frances and I’ve never been a fan of it. My family calls me Gidget, which I love. Named after the 60’s sitcom with Sally Field. Gidget’s proper name on the show was Frances.
So happy to find a post on Frances! I’m the 4th generation Frances in my family. My great-grandmother was Frances Faye, then my grandmother is Lily Frances, my uncle is Michael Francis (YES, we firmly believe that the -is spelling is masculine and will challenge anyone who says otherwise to a duel), and lastly, I’m Kathleen Frances. My daughter’s first name will be Frances. DH and I already decided on this ages ago.
The story of how the first Frances got her name is actually a cute story. Her parents originally named her Eunice Faye but when Cecil, her older brother first heard what his baby sister had been named, he (who was four at the time) put his foot down and said “No, no, no. She’s a nice little Frances Faye Forbes.” This amused their parents so much that they changed her name to just that. Thanks to my great-great uncle, I have this wonderful name that connects me with the generations past. 🙂
Oh, I wanted to add that anytime I see the name Francesca on someone that doesn’t have an heritage link to the name (Italian, etc) it sets my teeth on edge…it didn’t do that before, but I guess as it got more popular, it got more irritating. Just seems so overly-feminine and forced, like the parents wanted their girl to have a name ending with an ‘a’ so they pasted it on the end of the name. Roberta and Wilma gets the same reaction out of me.
I’m overly sensitive when it comes to girl names, I admit. Oh well.
WOW! That is a fantastic story. I would have changed her name, too!
I just sent this link to my husband–we just had a baby girl in September and we named her Frances. However, the name wasn’t pulled out of thin air; it was my great grandmother’s name. We like to stick to traditional family names and named our son, Lowell, after my husband’s grandfather. But it’s funny because I can immediately tell if someone likes the name–most, and expectedly so, make a reference to it being such an “older name”. My mother-in-law is already calling her ‘Frankie’ and I’m not sure I’m on board with that just yet….If she ends up being a little tom-boyish, maybe (however my husband really likes it). But for now it’s either Frances or Francie (alot of time we call her ‘Francie-pants’ or ‘Francie Rain’, since her middle name is Lorraine, sometimes my husband will even pull off a ‘Francois Pantelones’, trying to be funny). But I refuse to let anyone call her ‘Franny’, ‘Fanny’, or ‘Fran’, while I can still control it. 🙂 It’s funny though because in her 3 short months I’ve already had to correct the spelling of her name many, many times. It’s funny to me that more people default to the ‘is’ spelling rather than the ‘es’. Another interesting tidbit is my mom has a friend who just recently became a grandmother to a girl by the name of Francesca…..only her (Francesca’s) parents call her ‘Frances’ for short.
You forgot St. Frances Cabrini! Another fabulous wearer of the name.
Funny to read all of these, my name being Frances.. “hottie” I hated my name for the longest time too but i realized in highschool, when every other girl had the name Lauren or Sarah or Katie, that i loved it, and now i love it even more in college! Everyone always knows who someone is talking about when they say Frances, there’s never a “Frances Who?” and I always get a “Is that your real name?? It’s great!” or “It’s so classic”. Seriously, best name EVER! I go by fran, france, francoise… my grandmother, a Frances as well, went by Fanny
Funny to see the comments!
My name is Frances (and i hate it) as i’m 16. Almost everybody who meets me for the first time spells my name francis! It is extremely annoying, as i am not a guy!
Nicknames i go by are: Franny, Frankie and Fran.
Awww…my chocolate lab’s name is Francie, so named after a character from the Jennifer Garner TV hit Alias. (We had no children at the time, so we put quite a bit of thought into naming our dog…sad but true.) Francie is a cute nickname for the rather proper Frances.
Thanks Verity! Pomeline’s my secret love. Everyone thinks I’m crazy but I just can’t shake her off my list entirely! If you do find the boys list and add some, would you be so kind to post them? I keep track and post a “Would you come on over & give your thoughts” sort of post when the name’s up at another website I frequent. (Thanks too, for Flora. I adore it, but want to use Florence, possibly as a full name, since she was another one of my Mom’s sisters: Josephine, Helena, Florence & Francesca they were) Can’t wait to see what you dig up!
You all are fabulous! Thanks for the suggestions.
I’m determined to find a better way to do this, but for now I’ve updated the calendar to include:
10.1 Alwilda – Thanks, Holey – that’s going to be quite a fun one!
10.3 Pomeline – A far less obvious choice from the orchard!
10.4 Cornelius – Interesting choice, DH and Lola.
10.5 Maxine – Another, my son just played with a little girl called Maxine at the beach. (Her mother was English.)
10.7 India – one my faves, too, DH.
10.9 Flora – the floral name of all floral names, Lola.
Now let me go find the boys’ names and fill in a few more days …
Frances sounds frumpy to me, but Francesca is lovely. But I tend to the more flowery/sugary/exotic end of naming, so my opinions are to be taken with a tablespoon of salt.
Great choice for name of the day – purely for being a name I’m completely familiar with but have never considered! Actually, Frances was the name of my great grandmother but I’ve always thouught her name was the least favourable of my great grandmothers. Now, you mention it though, I’m looking at her in a whole new light, she certainly does fit in with names like Isabella, Clara and Olivia but for me she doesn’t quite have their user-friendly feel (and this from someone who loves stuffy names!)
Unfortunately when I think of Frances it also brings to mind scandal, but of the college dorm variety. I had a dorm mate named Frances who was an absolute trainwreck, (drinking, smoking, sleeping around, breaking up relationships left and right). I don’t know if it was her name or her personality or her parenting or the way she was treated because of her name, but I would NEVER consider this for a child of mine, funny how associations change your perception.
Oh dear! That puts a scandalous twist on the name, doesn’t it?
Rielle Hunter (that nutty woman who was fooling around w/ John Edwards) named her daughter Frances.
I love Francesca! I have a cousin with that name and she’s half Italian. Her nickname is Chessie (don’t know how to spell it. I never asked her parents that and I usually just call her by her full name.) It’s alot nicer than Frances in my opinion. I just never liked Frances/Francis and I don’t like Fanny/Fannie and Frankie. I agree with Unknown. It does seem really dated. Fanny will more than likely get the poor kid teased in school and on a playground and Frankie is too masculine for a girl. Paris is awful and trashy compared to Francis though. Skanky Paris Hilton ruined that name a long time ago. I never liked it before her, but now I really hate it.
Thanks for covering Frances. I really love it, especially the nickname Francie. But the other names you mentioned, Alice, Beatrice, Eleanor, are also high on my list, so it must be something about the style. Great name!
Two contenders for my girls list are India and Oona. I’d love to read about them!
Girl names:
Simone
Celeste
Corinne
Maxine
I grew up with a Xiomara
Alright, a few girls that entertain me, Hope I haven’t missed them already!
Josephine
Elspeth
Dorothy/Dorothea
Edith
Florence/Flora
Cecily (This one might have been covered already)
Jemima
Mathilda/Matilda
Pomeline ( A French little Apple!)
Martha
Pandora (My MIL!)
Philippa
Roxana (not Roxanne!)
Lilac
and finally
Margaret, Marguerite &/or my lovely medieval Margery
Anything? 😉
I have an offbeat suggestion for a girls’ name: Alwilda. This was the middle name of one of my great-great aunts, born in 1884 to an Illinois wagonmaker’s family with otherwise ordinary names like Elizabeth and Howard. I’ve always wondered how they happened on that name.
We have a relative by the name of Awilda, sort of close. She is a Latino – Dominican Republic.
I always wondered where that came from, I wonder if it’s related to Alwilda…
Btw, my great grandmother was Frances and I got her as a middle name. Kids in school smeared it on me constantly, what is the deal?
But my GG was a fabulous and wonderful lady and I’m proud to have it.
Wish granted – Linus is already on the calendar for 9/7!
I need to sit down and review my calendar later this week, but I’ll put Cornelius in there when I do, promise. Personally, I’m a huge fan of Cordelia, but Cornelius has an interesting vibe, too – and fits so well with Julius, Marius and the other -us names that I’ve covered. (My baby brother has dibs on Leonidas, nn Leo.)
Funny, Laney, I have my share of Cenzos and Cescas in my Italian family and until you mentioned it, I’d never thought about how to *spell* it.
I do think Frances is daring these days – but I’m hearing more and more of Alice and definitely lots of Beatrice, so I think she might be due for a revival.
And I’d overlooked Francie – that’s a sweet nickname for a ladylike Frances who wouldn’t quite be comfortable as a Frannie.
As for Fanny? I had a Great Aunt who answered to the nn – though her full name was Philomena. She was lovely, but I suppose I’m particularly disinclined to entertain it, as her name made me snicker through many a childhood family event.
Going back to NotD, any one have a few good ideas for girls? For the first time ever, I seem to be pulling WAY ahead on boys’ names and I like to fill the calendar evenly. (Neurotic, I know – but there it is.)
Hey DH… Consider your request for Cornelius seconded! I really like him but with Cosmo & Clarence already in my top 2, Cornelius ends up in a secondary spot. I’m beginning to feel the C overload! (What s it about C’s that I like this time around?
I’d also like to make yet another request, if possible, Linus? I’m starting to really warm up to him, being the former Pope name (like my other boys) and the first name of my other half’s personal hero: Linus Torvalds. I also like the Peanuts assocation, my brother was affectionately Linus for his blanket toting ways as a toddler (as I was Lucy, the bossy older sister) Thanks Mom for that! 🙂 I’d love to see what other assocations you can dig up, Verity (if you’ve got the time, I mean)! I searched but can’t find him here.
I have to say Frances is a pretty name but I do find it a bit old and dated. I’d love to see it on a child, but I just wouldn’t use it myself. I prefer Francesca instead, and I do have to say I love Francis on a boy!
Oh, speaking of A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, would you be interested in doing a name of the day on Cornelius? That was Francie’s brother in the book and he went by nickname Neely.
You left out my favorite Frances nickname—-Francie, worn by my favorite literary Frances Nolan nn Francie in A Tree Grows In Brooklyn.
For me, Frances has a few great nicknames but not enough wow or femininity for me. I could see using in the middle slot if it were a family name but this one is still a bit too musty for me.
Hah! Frances was my Mother! 😀 She was actually born Francesca (in a Polish/Russian family, no less!) and anglicised it to Frances by high school, figuring it would be easier to live with. Not really. I recall many telephone conversations with her saying “‘es’, not ‘is’ ‘es’ is for girls”! Drove her bananas. Frances (Mom) & Francis(Uncle) are both family names for me, hence her being in the middle (Eulalie Frances Madelief). I’m still looking for someplace to use Francis in the middle for a boy.
Yes, I know the spellings were interchangable for centuries but honestly? “es” for girls, “is” for boys is what my brain, and eyes, prefer. No, insist on!
Both boy & girl variants are smart, happy and really lovely. Frankie only appeals on a little boy, Frank (ala Ol’ Blue eyes) on a /teen/man. Francie for the girls.. or do I dare? Fannie sounds so flapper-ish cool to me and makes me think of Fannie May candy and Fannie Mae, the Federal lending insitution. I am firmly in the “fannie is not your tush” camp!
France Bean surprised and enchanted me, and raised both Kurt & Courtney a notch in my estimation. And if anyone ever called a Frances of mine “baby” I’d strangle them.
I thoroughly adore Frances (and Francis). 😀
I love the Fannie/Fanny nickname as well! There are so many admirable women in history called Fanny and yes, it really is flapperish cool. 🙂