Frances

Meaning: French, Frankish
Origin: Latin — Feminine form of Francis

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 have carried the name since. 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.

#235 in Belgium (2025) · #236 in New Zealand (2025) · #271 in Sweden (2025) · #379 in England & Wales (2025) · #683 in Canada (2025) · #780 in Scotland (2025) · #807 in Poland (2024) · #1,990 in Ecuador (2024) · #856 in Ireland (2023) · #2,518 in Austria (2021) · #4,912 in France (2019) · #432 in N. Ireland (2017) and 3 more.

Famous Franceses

Frances McDormand — American actress (born 1957)
Frances Arnold — Nobel prize winning US scientist and engineer (born 1956)
Frances Hodgson Burnett — British-American novelist (1849–1924)
Frances Marion — American screenwriter, director, journalist and author (1888–1973)
Frances Allen — American computer scientist (1932–2020)
Frances Fisher — American actress (born 1952)
Frances Conroy — American actress (born 1953)
Frances Farmer — American actress (1913–1970)
Frances Cleveland — First Lady of the United States (1886–1889; 1893–1897) (1864–1947)
Frances Perkins — American workers' rights advocate (1880–1965)

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, British-American novelist (1849–1924).

Spellings & nicknames

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

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

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

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