Francis

Latin

"Frenchman or free man"

Francis Origin and Meaning

The name Francis is a boy's name of Latin origin meaning "Frenchman or free man".

Since this was the name chosen by the current Roman Catholic pope, Francis has come into the spotlight.

The name, which was in the Top 10 at the turn of the last century, has been pretty much confined to Irish and Italian Catholics -- think F. (Francis) Scott Fitzgerald, Francis Albert Sinatra, Francis Ford Coppola -- for decades, and still has a somewhat starchy feel. But with its similarity to the increasingly popular female Frances, and its recent newsworthiness, we can see it making a possible comeback beyond those worlds. And in fact, the name has risen a bit in the charts since its all-time low of 680 in 2009.

Animal-loving parents might be inspired by the connection to Saint Francis of Assisi (born Giovanni), who was said to be able to communicate with animals and was made the patron saint of ecology. Another Francis, Saint Francis de Sales, is the patron saint of writers and editors.

Francis Rank in US Top 1000

# 458 in the US

Francis Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 221 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Francis

• 458 US 2023
• 221 Nameberry 2025
• 93 Unisex 2023
• 317 Future 2028
• 231 England 2023

20 Names Similar to Francis

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Francis.

• Leonard
• Eugene
• Alfred
• Edgar
• Albert
• Frederick
• Abraham
• Benedict
• Lawrence
• Edwin
• Bernard
• Philip
• Walter
• Edmund
• Hector
• Harold
• Ernest
• Gilbert
• Victor
• Clarence

Famous People Named Francis

• Francis I and II Kings of France
• Francis I (Francis Stephen) and Francis II Holy Roman Emperors
• Francis I (Francesco Gennaro Giuseppe) and Francis II (Francesco d'Assisi Maria Leopoldo) Kings of the Two Sicilies
• Francis Xavier Spanish cofounder of the Society of Jesus
• Francis Rous (1579 1658), Puritan, hymnist
• Francis de Sales Bishop of Geneva
• Francis Nash American Revolutionary general
• Francis Scott Key American poet; writer of the U.S. National Anthem
• Francis Minden Knollis (1815 1863), hymnist
• Francis Sheehy Skeffington, Irish writer, activist and pacifist
• Francis Taylor American art dealer; father of Elizabeth Taylor
• Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra American pop singer and actor
• Francis Crozier Anglo,Irish officer of the Royal Navy, polar explorer, and researcher
• Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio) current Pope
• Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald American novelist
• Francis Bacon 1st Viscount St Alban, English philosopher and statesman
• Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc French composer
• Francis Harry Compton Crick English scientist who discovered DNA structure
• Francis Ford Coppola American film director
• Francis Fukuyama American political scientist
• Francis "Hill" Harper American actor
• (Francis) Jameson Parker Jr. American actor
• Francis Bouillon American hockey player
• Francis Galton English polymath
• Christopher Francis "Frank" Ocean American musician
• Francis William Aston English chemist; winner of the Nobel Prize
• Francis Peyton Rous American virologist; winner of the Nobel Prize
• Francis "Coyote" Shivers Canadian musician/actor
• Francis Jonathan (b. 2009) son of actress Ashley Jensen

The name Francis in Pop Culture

• Francis Abernathy character in Donna Tartt's "The Secret History"
• Francis Bonnefoy personification of France in "Axis Powers: Hetalia"
• Francis Dolarhyde character in book/movie "Red Dragon"
• Francis Malcolm's oldest brother on TV's "Malcolm in the Middle"
• Francis Gage character on TV's "Walker, Texas Ranger"
• Francis Prince of France on TV's "Reign"
• Francis "Frank" Underwood character on TV's "House of Cards"
• Francis the Talking Mule character in several films
• Francis Griffin Peter's dad on TV's "Family Guy"
• Francis Ray Ottoman character in webcomic PvP
• Francis character in video game "Left 4 Dead"
• Francis character in movie "Spy Kids 3,D: Game Over"
• Francis main cat character in "Felidae" by Akif Pirinçci
• Francis ladybug character Pixar's "A Bug's Life"
• Francis Freeman character in movie "Deadpool"
• Francis "Frank" Delfino character in "How to Get Away with Murder"
• Francis "Frank" Moses character in "RED"
• Francis Farewell Starlite musician and producer of "Francis and the Lights"
• Francis de Saint Germain, immortal character in Michael Scott's "The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel"

International Variations of the name Francis

• Paquito Spanish
• Panchito Spanish
• Franciszk Slavic
• Ferke Hungarian
• Quito Spanish
• Farruco Spanish
• Curro Spanish
• François French
• Pancho Spanish
• Chito Spanish
• Ferenc Hungarian
• Frantz Danish
• Proinsias Irish
• Franz German
• Franc Slavic
• Franciscus Dutch
• Francesco Italian
• Fransen Scandinavian
• Curito Spanish
• Franco Italian
• Chico Spanish
• Franio Polish
• Chilo Spanish
• Franus Polish
• Chicho Spanish
• Frasco Spanish
• Francilo Spanish
• Franzl German
• Ferko Hungarian
• Franken German
• Franchot French
• Frans Scandinavian
• Paco Spanish
• Francisco Spanish
• Cisco Spanish
• Franzen German
• Pacorra Spanish
• Frascuelo Spanish