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A name. A world of connections.
A name with a story to discover
01 / Meaning & origin
Francis is a unisex given name documented in English, French, Dutch and 2 other languages. English Wiktionary records an etymology for it.
Separate records with matching spellings: Francis (Cebuano, English), Françis (st-48dac0d7cb), Fräncis (Q139701501)
Borrowed from Medieval Latin Franciscus (“French(man)”) (from Francia (“France”)). Doublet of Francisco and Franz.
02 / Across borders
Explore official naming statistics and documented language connections around the world.
The name atlas
20
countries in our sources
Select a country to follow Francis’s connections around the world.
14 countries with official statistics. Language records show cultural connections; they do not measure how common a name is.
Selected country
Statistics + language records
United States, 2025: 769 boys (rank 420). Documented as a given name in English.
Explore United States4 of 20 countries
03 / By the numbers
Follow the spelling through the years, one published dataset at a time.
1880–2025 Spelling: Francis
Hover to explore a year. Use arrow keys when a chart point has focus.
Source: US Social Security Administration; redistributed by nkrishnaswami · SSA national baby names, 1880–2025 (CC0 redistribution)
Integer application counts retained without rounding.
Per million is unavailable: this source has no matching published total.
| Year | Applications | Rank | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 344 | 50 | observed |
| 1881 | 259 | 63 | observed |
| 1882 | 327 | 56 | observed |
| 1883 | 285 | 60 | observed |
| 1884 | 340 | 57 | observed |
| 1885 | 319 | 56 | observed |
| 1886 | 344 | 55 | observed |
| 1887 | 327 | 53 | observed |
| 1888 | 353 | 57 | observed |
| 1889 | 346 | 55 | observed |
| 1890 | 363 | 54 | observed |
| 1891 | 333 | 54 | observed |
| 1892 | 429 | 50 | observed |
| 1893 | 418 | 48 | observed |
| 1894 | 423 | 50 | observed |
| 1895 | 480 | 45 | observed |
| 1896 | 551 | 39 | observed |
| 1897 | 496 | 43 | observed |
| 1898 | 541 | 43 | observed |
| 1899 | 501 | 38 | observed |
| 1900 | 652 | 41 | observed |
| 1901 | 543 | 36 | observed |
| 1902 | 597 | 38 | observed |
| 1903 | 665 | 35 | observed |
| 1904 | 686 | 36 | observed |
| 1905 | 685 | 36 | observed |
| 1906 | 737 | 35 | observed |
| 1907 | 717 | 37 | observed |
| 1908 | 853 | 34 | observed |
| 1909 | 886 | 33 | observed |
| 1910 | 1,000 | 36 | observed |
| 1911 | 1,311 | 33 | observed |
| 1912 | 2,516 | 35 | observed |
| 1913 | 3,205 | 30 | observed |
| 1914 | 3,901 | 31 | observed |
| 1915 | 5,594 | 29 | observed |
| 1916 | 5,652 | 31 | observed |
| 1917 | 5,801 | 30 | observed |
| 1918 | 6,347 | 30 | observed |
| 1919 | 5,726 | 34 | observed |
| 1920 | 6,241 | 34 | observed |
| 1921 | 6,293 | 35 | observed |
| 1922 | 6,147 | 34 | observed |
| 1923 | 6,087 | 34 | observed |
| 1924 | 6,131 | 34 | observed |
| 1925 | 5,978 | 35 | observed |
| 1926 | 5,789 | 35 | observed |
| 1927 | 5,644 | 36 | observed |
| 1928 | 5,516 | 40 | observed |
| 1929 | 5,270 | 39 | observed |
| 1930 | 4,990 | 42 | observed |
| 1931 | 4,735 | 42 | observed |
| 1932 | 4,388 | 43 | observed |
| 1933 | 4,093 | 45 | observed |
| 1934 | 4,006 | 49 | observed |
| 1935 | 3,894 | 53 | observed |
| 1936 | 3,876 | 50 | observed |
| 1937 | 3,730 | 55 | observed |
| 1938 | 3,951 | 51 | observed |
| 1939 | 3,721 | 53 | observed |
| 1940 | 3,607 | 61 | observed |
| 1941 | 3,738 | 60 | observed |
| 1942 | 4,297 | 58 | observed |
| 1943 | 4,068 | 64 | observed |
| 1944 | 3,652 | 71 | observed |
| 1945 | 3,448 | 76 | observed |
| 1946 | 4,006 | 80 | observed |
| 1947 | 4,208 | 84 | observed |
| 1948 | 4,214 | 80 | observed |
| 1949 | 4,281 | 78 | observed |
| 1950 | 4,082 | 86 | observed |
| 1951 | 4,199 | 85 | observed |
| 1952 | 3,979 | 89 | observed |
| 1953 | 3,875 | 90 | observed |
| 1954 | 3,686 | 94 | observed |
| 1955 | 3,439 | 100 | observed |
| 1956 | 3,301 | 111 | observed |
| 1957 | 2,936 | 128 | observed |
| 1958 | 2,620 | 135 | observed |
| 1959 | 2,649 | 136 | observed |
| 1960 | 2,416 | 145 | observed |
| 1961 | 2,345 | 148 | observed |
| 1962 | 2,293 | 148 | observed |
| 1963 | 2,174 | 153 | observed |
| 1964 | 2,068 | 159 | observed |
| 1965 | 1,815 | 164 | observed |
| 1966 | 1,696 | 164 | observed |
| 1967 | 1,583 | 169 | observed |
| 1968 | 1,515 | 175 | observed |
| 1969 | 1,429 | 189 | observed |
| 1970 | 1,389 | 192 | observed |
| 1971 | 1,209 | 201 | observed |
| 1972 | 989 | 222 | observed |
| 1973 | 979 | 223 | observed |
| 1974 | 888 | 233 | observed |
| 1975 | 957 | 217 | observed |
| 1976 | 836 | 240 | observed |
| 1977 | 896 | 235 | observed |
| 1978 | 940 | 225 | observed |
| 1979 | 929 | 237 | observed |
| 1980 | 922 | 243 | observed |
| 1981 | 974 | 236 | observed |
| 1982 | 981 | 238 | observed |
| 1983 | 961 | 232 | observed |
| 1984 | 902 | 243 | observed |
| 1985 | 935 | 245 | observed |
| 1986 | 915 | 245 | observed |
| 1987 | 949 | 244 | observed |
| 1988 | 952 | 246 | observed |
| 1989 | 921 | 268 | observed |
| 1990 | 919 | 284 | observed |
| 1991 | 824 | 313 | observed |
| 1992 | 803 | 318 | observed |
| 1993 | 753 | 335 | observed |
| 1994 | 726 | 339 | observed |
| 1995 | 697 | 352 | observed |
| 1996 | 607 | 384 | observed |
| 1997 | 628 | 385 | observed |
| 1998 | 580 | 410 | observed |
| 1999 | 542 | 430 | observed |
| 2000 | 559 | 435 | observed |
| 2001 | 546 | 444 | observed |
| 2002 | 464 | 497 | observed |
| 2003 | 465 | 518 | observed |
| 2004 | 456 | 524 | observed |
| 2005 | 463 | 526 | observed |
| 2006 | 451 | 556 | observed |
| 2007 | 402 | 616 | observed |
| 2008 | 368 | 660 | observed |
| 2009 | 359 | 676 | observed |
| 2010 | 358 | 670 | observed |
| 2011 | 387 | 617 | observed |
| 2012 | 430 | 593 | observed |
| 2013 | 539 | 505 | observed |
| 2014 | 593 | 480 | observed |
| 2015 | 622 | 481 | observed |
| 2016 | 638 | 481 | observed |
| 2017 | 662 | 458 | observed |
| 2018 | 610 | 479 | observed |
| 2019 | 605 | 484 | observed |
| 2020 | 616 | 481 | observed |
| 2021 | 637 | 466 | observed |
| 2022 | 664 | 462 | observed |
| 2023 | 677 | 456 | observed |
| 2024 | 695 | 450 | observed |
| 2025 | 769 | 420 | observed |
Statistics count the spelling “Francis” as recorded by the publisher. When a spelling has several independent origins, the counts are not split between them. Counts measure applications. Gaps are years without a published value, not zeros.
Rates per million are unavailable for this series because no compatible denominator has been imported.
Retrieved 2026-10-15 · CC0-1.0
Read our methodology04 / Through time
Passages quoted verbatim from public-domain reference works. They reflect the scholarship of their time, not current consensus, and may use obsolete spellings.
Francis— “free”
The name was not absolutely new to France, for that of the grandson of the first Montfort, Duke of Brittany, had been Fransez, and so had been that of the father of the Duchess Anne, who carried her old Keltic inheritance to the crown of France; but it was her daughter’s husband, François I., the godson of the saint of Nola, who was the representative Frenchman, the type of showy and degenerate chivalry; and thus spread François and Françoise universally among the French…
The name was not absolutely new to France, for that of the grandson of the first Montfort, Duke of Brittany, had been Fransez, and so had been that of the father of the Duchess Anne, who carried her old Keltic inheritance to the crown of France; but it was her daughter’s husband, François I., the godson of the saint of Nola, who was the representative Frenchman, the type of showy and degenerate chivalry; and thus spread François and Françoise universally among the French nobility, where they held sway almost exclusively till the memories of the House of Valois had become detestable; but by that time the populace were making great use of it, and at the present time it is considered as so vulgar that a French servant in England was scandalized that a child of the family should be called Francis.
Yonge, History of Christian Names (1884), Part VI, Chapter II (Names From Teuton Mythology), Section IV (Frey) · Public domain (Project Gutenberg)
People on Wikidata whose recorded given name is this item (not necessarily their first name), ordered by number of Wikipedia articles. Their names may use a different spelling.
A little story to keep
Take the story of Francis with you. Create a personal name passport with its meaning, roots and connections.
06 / Behind the facts
Review status: Source-reported — no editorial review recorded yet. Last data change 2026-10-15.
SSA national baby names, 1880–2025 (CC0 redistribution)
US Social Security Administration; redistributed by nkrishnaswami · CC0-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Fichier des prénoms — édition 2026 (naissances 1900 à 2025), fichier national
Insee (Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques) · LO-2.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Ontario first baby names, 1913–2023 (verified redistribution)
Government of Ontario; redistributed by helloharun · OGL-ON-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
British Columbia — 100 Years of Popular Baby Names (first names used 5 or more times), 1926-2025
Government of British Columbia, Vital Statistics Agency · OGL-BC (Open Government License - British Columbia; version not stated on the page) · retrieved 2026-10-15
Ontario top baby names, historical archive 1917–2013
Government of Ontario (Office of the Registrar General) · OGL-ON-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
South Australia — Popular Baby Names, per-year lists including names given once, 1944-2017
Attorney-General's Department, South Australia (via data.sa.gov.au) · CC-BY-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Ireland — babies' first names with three or more occurrences, 1964–2025
Central Statistics Office (CSO), Ireland · CC-BY-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
National Records of Scotland — Babies' First Names: all first forenames given to 3 or more babies, Scotland, 1974-2025
National Records of Scotland (NRS) · OGL-UK-3.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
NISRA — First Forenames Given to Babies Registered in Northern Ireland, 1997-2025 (full list)
Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) · OGL-UK-3.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Statistik Austria — Vornamen (OGDEXT_VORNAMEN_1): first names of live births, Austria, 1984-2025 (national counts from district rows)
Statistik Austria (Bundesanstalt Statistik Österreich) · CC-BY-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Norway — published individual first-name birth counts, 1945–2025
Statistics Norway (SSB) · CC-BY-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Switzerland — published first names of newborns, 2000–2025
Federal Statistical Office (FSO), Switzerland · opendata.swiss OPEN-BY (commercial and non-commercial reuse with source attribution) · retrieved 2026-10-15
Imiona nadawane dzieciom w Polsce — first given names of children, PESEL register, 2000-2025 (national)
Ministerstwo Cyfryzacji (Ministry of Digital Affairs), Poland — PESEL register; published on dane.gov.pl · CC0-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages — Popular Baby Names (annual top 100 per gender), 1952-2025
NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages (via data.nsw.gov.au) · CC-BY (Creative Commons Attribution; version not stated on the record) · retrieved 2026-10-15
New Zealand — DIA published top 100 baby first names per sex, 1954–2025
Department of Internal Affairs (DIA), New Zealand · CC-BY-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Berlin — published first-given-name registration counts, 2017–2023
BerlinOnline GmbH, based on Berlin LABO civil-registry data · CC-BY-3.0-DE · retrieved 2026-10-15
Spain — first names of residents, census snapshot 2025-01-01
Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Spain · CC-BY-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Baby names in England and Wales: 2025 (boys and girls workbooks, Table 6: all published names)
Office for National Statistics (ONS) · OGL-UK-3.0 · retrieved 2026-10-14
Finland — first given names of living Finnish citizens in Finland or abroad, 2026-08-03
Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland · CC-BY-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Wiktionary text: CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikidata: CC0. Commons recordings retain their individual file licences. Complete attribution is available in each group above and alongside each chart.
