Fannie

Spelling variation of Fanny, diminutive of Frances
"from France; free man"

Fannie Origin and Meaning

The name Fannie is a girl's name meaning "from France; free man".

It's hard to believe, via a 21st-century sensibility, that Fannie was ever a Top 50 name. But Fannie was even more popular than Fanny in its late 19th-century heyday, and stuck around much longer, staying on the Top 1000 until the 1960s while Fanny fell off in 1940. Today, however, Fannie sounds antiquated at best, and rude at worst.

Much of Fannie's usage today can be accounted for in Amish communities, among whom Fannie is a classic choice.

# 934 in the US

Fannie Rank in US Top 1000

Famous People Named Fannie

  • Fannie Flagg (born Patricia Neal)
    American actress, comedian, and novelist
  • Fannie Hurst
    American novelist
  • Fannie Lou Hamer
    American civil rights activist
  • Fannie Merritt Farmer
    American culinary expert and cookbook author
  • Fannie Hillsmith
    American painter
  • Fannie Ward
    American silent film actress
  • Fannie Kauffman
    Canadian,Mexican actress
  • Fannie Bloomfield Zeisler
    Austrian,American pianist
  • Frances "Fannie" Barrier Williams
    American educator and civil rights activist

Fannie in Pop Culture

  • Fannie Mae
    the Federal National Mortgage Association