Francis is an English, French, German, Dutch and Scandinavian given name of Latin origin.
Francis is a name that has many derivatives in most European languages. A feminine version of the name in English is Frances, or (less commonly) Francine. (For most speakers, Francis and Frances are homophones or near homophones; a popular mnemonic for the spelling is "i for him and e for her".) The name Frank is a common diminutive for Francis, as is Frannie for Frances. Less common are the diminutives Fritz for Francis, and Franny and Fran for either Francis or Frances.
Contents
History
The name has relatively unclear origins but is thought to mean "free". Notably, the Germanic peoples known as the Franks gave their name to France and their characteristic national weapon was the francisca, a throwing axe. Francesco ("Free man", "Frank", "Frenchman", in medieval Italian) was the name given to Saint Francis of Assisi (born Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone) by his francophile father, whose wife, the mother of Francesco, was French, celebrating his trade with French merchants. Due to the renown of the saint, the name became widespread in Western Europe during the Middle Ages in its different versions (Francisco, François, etc.). However, it was not regularly used in Britain until the 16th century as Francis.
Related names in other languages
Related names are common in other Western European languages, in countries that are (or were before the Reformation) Catholic. Other non-European languages have also adopted variants of the name. These names include:
List of people with the given name Francis
Aristocracy
Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor (1708–1765), also Francis III, Duke of Lorraine
Francis I of France, King of France (1494–1547)
Francis II of France, King of France (1544–1560)
Francis I of Brittany (1414–1450)
Francis II of Brittany (1433–1488)
Francis III of Brittany (1518–1536)
Francis I, Duke of Lorraine (1517–1545)
Francis II, Duke of Lorraine (1572–1632)
Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor, also Francis I, Emperor of Austria (1768–1835)
Franz, Duke of Bavaria (born 1933), called "Francis II" by Jacobite supporters
Prince Francis Joseph of Braganza (1878–1919), Infante of Portugal, 2nd son of Miguel II, legitimist claimant to the throne of Portugal
Francisco de Asís, Duke of Cádiz, (1822–1902), Duke of Cádiz, King Consort of Spain to Queen Isabella II
Francis I of the Two Sicilies (1777–1830)
Francis II of the Two Sicilies (1836–1894)
Francis IV, Duke of Modena (1779–1846)
Francis V, Duke of Modena (1819–1875)
Francis I Rákóczi, Prince of Transylvania (1645–1676)
Religious figures
Pope Francis (1936–2025)
Francis of Assisi (1181/1182–1226), Italian Catholic friar and saint
Francis de Sales (1567–1622), French Catholic bishop and saint
Francis Xavier (1506–1552), Basque Catholic Jesuit missionary and saint
Francis Borgia (1510-1572), Spanish Jesuit; third superior general of the Society of Jesus and saint.
Francis Solanus (1549-1610), Spanish Franciscan missionary in South America and saint
Francis George, OMI (1937–2015), cardinal and Archbishop of Chicago (1997–2014)
Chico Xavier or Francisco Cândido Xavier, (1910–2002), popular Brazilian philanthropist and spiritist medium