French origin
Source-reportedFrom French François.
Sources for this account (2)
- Wiktionary: FrancoisCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
- Greek Wiktionary: FrancoisCC-BY-SA-4.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
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A name. A world of connections.
French roots
/ˈfranswa/ · Afrikaans
01 / Meaning & origin
Francois is a masculine given name documented in Afrikaans, Danish and Finnish. English Wiktionary traces it to French François.
Separate records with matching spellings: François (Afrikaans, English)
From French François.
02 / Across borders
Explore published naming statistics and documented language connections around the world.
The name atlas
8
countries in our sources
Select a country to follow Francois’s connections around the world.
6 countries with published statistics. Language records show cultural connections; they do not measure how common a name is.
Selected country
Published statistics
United States, 2025: 18 boys (rank 5208).
Explore United States4 of 8 countries
03 / By the numbers
Follow the spelling through the years, one published dataset at a time.
1880–2025 Spelling: Francois
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 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1881 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1882 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1883 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1884 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1885 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1886 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1887 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1888 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1889 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1890 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1891 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1892 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1893 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1894 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1895 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1896 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1897 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1898 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1899 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1900 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1901 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1902 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1903 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1904 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1905 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1906 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1907 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1908 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1909 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1910 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1911 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1912 | 7 | 2,045 | observed |
| 1913 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1914 | 6 | 2,915 | observed |
| 1915 | 6 | 3,392 | observed |
| 1916 | 8 | 2,926 | observed |
| 1917 | 10 | 2,562 | observed |
| 1918 | 10 | 2,699 | observed |
| 1919 | 8 | 3,115 | observed |
| 1920 | 9 | 2,967 | observed |
| 1921 | 6 | 3,869 | observed |
| 1922 | 9 | 3,014 | observed |
| 1923 | 11 | 2,614 | observed |
| 1924 | 13 | 2,347 | observed |
| 1925 | 11 | 2,588 | observed |
| 1926 | 12 | 2,436 | observed |
| 1927 | 12 | 2,408 | observed |
| 1928 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1929 | 13 | 2,199 | observed |
| 1930 | 8 | 3,022 | observed |
| 1931 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1932 | 8 | 2,849 | observed |
| 1933 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1934 | 11 | 2,266 | observed |
| 1935 | 7 | 2,951 | observed |
| 1936 | 5 | 3,549 | observed |
| 1937 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1938 | 7 | 2,868 | observed |
| 1939 | 7 | 2,829 | observed |
| 1940 | 6 | 3,130 | observed |
| 1941 | 5 | 3,505 | observed |
| 1942 | 9 | 2,523 | observed |
| 1943 | 6 | 3,231 | observed |
| 1944 | no value | no value | not covered |
| 1945 | 5 | 3,338 | observed |
| 1946 | 11 | 2,271 | observed |
| 1947 | 9 | 2,671 | observed |
| 1948 | 11 | 2,326 | observed |
| 1949 | 13 | 2,123 | observed |
| 1950 | 10 | 2,438 | observed |
| 1951 | 9 | 2,662 | observed |
| 1952 | 22 | 1,615 | observed |
| 1953 | 8 | 2,905 | observed |
| 1954 | 16 | 1,956 | observed |
| 1955 | 9 | 2,764 | observed |
| 1956 | 13 | 2,263 | observed |
| 1957 | 9 | 2,822 | observed |
| 1958 | 22 | 1,677 | observed |
| 1959 | 24 | 1,620 | observed |
| 1960 | 13 | 2,315 | observed |
| 1961 | 30 | 1,467 | observed |
| 1962 | 22 | 1,713 | observed |
| 1963 | 25 | 1,585 | observed |
| 1964 | 28 | 1,487 | observed |
| 1965 | 23 | 1,625 | observed |
| 1966 | 22 | 1,650 | observed |
| 1967 | 27 | 1,476 | observed |
| 1968 | 21 | 1,731 | observed |
| 1969 | 24 | 1,680 | observed |
| 1970 | 24 | 1,794 | observed |
| 1971 | 25 | 1,784 | observed |
| 1972 | 24 | 1,819 | observed |
| 1973 | 23 | 1,871 | observed |
| 1974 | 19 | 2,199 | observed |
| 1975 | 27 | 1,787 | observed |
| 1976 | 20 | 2,245 | observed |
| 1977 | 23 | 2,063 | observed |
| 1978 | 16 | 2,669 | observed |
| 1979 | 25 | 2,048 | observed |
| 1980 | 25 | 2,110 | observed |
| 1981 | 23 | 2,204 | observed |
| 1982 | 28 | 1,929 | observed |
| 1983 | 29 | 1,864 | observed |
| 1984 | 26 | 2,036 | observed |
| 1985 | 34 | 1,764 | observed |
| 1986 | 26 | 2,161 | observed |
| 1987 | 37 | 1,760 | observed |
| 1988 | 23 | 2,509 | observed |
| 1989 | 31 | 2,206 | observed |
| 1990 | 32 | 2,214 | observed |
| 1991 | 34 | 2,143 | observed |
| 1992 | 43 | 1,884 | observed |
| 1993 | 24 | 2,865 | observed |
| 1994 | 28 | 2,618 | observed |
| 1995 | 23 | 3,020 | observed |
| 1996 | 29 | 2,590 | observed |
| 1997 | 18 | 3,738 | observed |
| 1998 | 25 | 3,092 | observed |
| 1999 | 12 | 5,317 | observed |
| 2000 | 14 | 5,040 | observed |
| 2001 | 14 | 5,142 | observed |
| 2002 | 24 | 3,554 | observed |
| 2003 | 19 | 4,276 | observed |
| 2004 | 14 | 5,492 | observed |
| 2005 | 17 | 4,824 | observed |
| 2006 | 17 | 5,072 | observed |
| 2007 | 11 | 7,094 | observed |
| 2008 | 17 | 5,249 | observed |
| 2009 | 12 | 6,802 | observed |
| 2010 | 11 | 7,087 | observed |
| 2011 | 17 | 5,200 | observed |
| 2012 | 11 | 7,050 | observed |
| 2013 | 12 | 6,603 | observed |
| 2014 | 16 | 5,485 | observed |
| 2015 | 20 | 4,711 | observed |
| 2016 | 15 | 5,789 | observed |
| 2017 | 15 | 5,788 | observed |
| 2018 | 16 | 5,540 | observed |
| 2019 | 14 | 6,104 | observed |
| 2020 | 14 | 5,980 | observed |
| 2021 | 13 | 6,335 | observed |
| 2022 | 10 | 7,768 | observed |
| 2023 | 12 | 6,897 | observed |
| 2024 | 13 | 6,469 | observed |
| 2025 | 18 | 5,208 | observed |
Statistics count the spelling “Francois” 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.
François— “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 recorded with this given name in Wikidata. Their names may use a different spelling, or include it as a middle or baptismal name.
American basketball player (born 2007)
Recorded as a middle or baptismal name
A little story to keep
Take the story of Francois 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
Ontario top baby names, historical archive 1917–2013
Government of Ontario (Office of the Registrar General) · OGL-ON-1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-15
Ontario first baby names, 1913–2023 (verified redistribution)
Government of Ontario; redistributed by helloharun · OGL-ON-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
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
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
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
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
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.
