Frances
Pronounced F R AE1 N S AH0 S (ARPABET)
- 2 syllables
- Peaked 1918
- 145 years in use
- 1 spelling
How popular is Frances?
Frances is a girls' name, and has been in the record since the data starts in 1880. It has been given to 625,062 children — the 50th most common girls' name on record.
It peaked in 1918, went quiet for most of a century, and is climbing again. Its best single year was 1918, when 16,784 children were given it.
Francis is counted with it here, since the two are pronounced identically.
Spelling variants
These spellings sound identical to Frances and are counted together with it, which is why the totals here are higher than a single-spelling count.
- Francis
Nicknames
Common short forms: Fran.
Characteristics
- 2 syllables
Phonetic detail
- Pronunciations:
- F R AE1 N S AH0 S · F R AE1 N S IH0 S
- Stress pattern:
- 10 · 10
- Syllables:
- 2
Stress digits mark unstressed (0), primary (1) and secondary (2) syllables.
Names like Frances
Same first letter and syllable count, peaking around the same time.
Sibling names for Frances
Names from the same era with a matching rhythm but a different initial.
Frequently asked questions
- How popular is the name Frances?
- Frances ranks 50th among girls' names in US records, with 625,062 births since 1880. Over the past decade it accounts for 8,197.
- Is Frances a unisex name?
- No. Frances is recorded almost entirely as a girls' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.
- When was Frances most popular?
- 1918, when 16,784 children were given the name. It has been in use for 145 years and is still recorded as of 2024.
- What are common nicknames for Frances?
- Fran. These are recorded as separate names in their own right, so each has its own page and its own popularity curve.
- How else is Frances spelled?
- Francis. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.