Frances
The feminine counterpart of Francis, from Latin Franciscus, a byname meaning Frenchman or Frank, originally applied to members of the Germanic Frankish people.
Frances in 2025
Frances was given to 966 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 672nd most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 3,432 babies born.
The history of Frances
Frances reached its highest point in 1918, when 16,229 babies were given the name, ranking 17th that year.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 600,721 babies have been named Frances. Half of them were born before 1929, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Silent Generation.
Frances by decade
| Decade | Babies named Frances | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 9,321 | 45 |
| 1890s | 18,245 | 30 |
| 1900s | 28,721 | 19 |
| 1910s | 106,323 | 17 |
| 1920s | 141,498 | 17 |
| 1930s | 93,042 | 34 |
| 1940s | 85,953 | 50 |
| 1950s | 51,604 | 98 |
| 1960s | 25,269 | 242 |
| 1970s | 11,511 | 367 |
| 1980s | 8,656 | 505 |
| 1990s | 6,179 | 670 |
| 2000s | 4,012 | 1,059 |
| 2010s | 5,504 | 864 |
| 2020s | 4,883 | 672 |
Where Frances is heading
Frances has risen 56% over the past decade, from 620 babies in 2015 to 966 in 2025.
Names like Frances
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Frances.