Frances

Did you know?

A few things about Frances you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Frances

Frances McDormand

American actress

Choose Frances and your child shares a first name with Frances McDormand, an American actress. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Frances, like who?” Frances McDormand's Wikipedia article is available in 83 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Frances McDormand on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Red Carpet Report on Mingle Media TV, CC BY-SA 2.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 1,674 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Frances, 960 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Frances would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryFrances has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Francess, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1918, when it ranked #8. Today it's #318, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📈Then vs nowFrances is 2.4× more common today than it was in 2000. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 4,000 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 1,674.
• 🚀TrendFrances has climbed 100 places in the US rankings over the last five years and now sits at #318. Fast risers like this often keep climbing, so expect to hear it more.
• 📍Where it's lovedFrances is most popular in Washington, D.C., where it ranks #64, followed by Vermont (#75) and Maine (#91). It makes the top 1,000 in almost every state.
• 💬MeaningIn English, Frances means “Frenchman, free”. Our records link it to English and Latin roots.

About the name Frances

Frances is a girl name of English and Latin origin meaning “Frenchman, free”. It has 7 letters and 1 syllable, starting with F and ending in “-ces”. US birth records list Frances for girls from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1918, when it ranked #8 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #318, with 960 babies.

Origin:English namesLatin names