Francis
Say it: FRAN-sis
BoyMeans a Frank, or Frenchman7 letters2 syllables
#309
in Ireland (2025)
#298 with spellings combined
14
babies in 2025
#16
best rank (1964)
7,282
babies since 1964
Down 88
10-year rank change
Francis through the years
Compare with another name →Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (boys) | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 14 | #298 |
| 2024 | 16 | #263 |
| 2023 | 17 | #248 |
| 2022 | 19 | #242 |
| 2021 | 20 | #233 |
| 2020 | 17 | #262 |
| 2019 | 16 | #278 |
| 2018 | 20 | #245 |
| 2017 | 21 | #244 |
| 2016 | 18 | #263 |
| 2015 | 26 | #210 |
| 2014 | 23 | #237 |
| 2013 | 27 | #215 |
| 2012 | 14 | #310 |
| 2011 | 15 | #302 |
| 2010 | 23 | #234 |
| 2009 | 24 | #227 |
| 2008 | 23 | #225 |
| 2007 | 15 | #253 |
| 2006 | 27 | #173 |
| 2005 | 25 | #170 |
| 2004 | 28 | #151 |
| 2003 | 22 | #168 |
| 2002 | 24 | #159 |
| 2001 | 23 | #150 |
| 2000 | 27 | #139 |
| 1999 | 21 | #156 |
| 1998 | 20 | #150 |
| 1997 | 50 | #99 |
| 1996 | 59 | #97 |
| 1995 | 56 | #96 |
| 1994 | 66 | #85 |
| 1993 | 77 | #80 |
| 1992 | 83 | #78 |
| 1991 | 80 | #78 |
| 1990 | 86 | #80 |
| 1989 | 88 | #74 |
| 1988 | 98 | #71 |
| 1987 | 117 | #63 |
| 1986 | 128 | #58 |
| 1985 | 136 | #53 |
| 1984 | 143 | #59 |
| 1983 | 182 | #51 |
| 1982 | 173 | #54 |
| 1981 | 204 | #50 |
| 1980 | 192 | #55 |
| 1979 | 214 | #49 |
| 1978 | 217 | #48 |
| 1977 | 226 | #45 |
| 1976 | 235 | #42 |
| 1975 | 243 | #40 |
| 1974 | 245 | #41 |
| 1973 | 272 | #35 |
| 1972 | 282 | #29 |
| 1971 | 288 | #28 |
| 1970 | 305 | #27 |
| 1969 | 272 | #27 |
| 1968 | 332 | #24 |
| 1967 | 336 | #23 |
| 1966 | 390 | #20 |
| 1965 | 393 | #19 |
| 1964 | 429 | #16 |
Source: CSO, Irish Babies' Names (VSA50, VSA60), CC BY 4.0.
★ What does Francis mean?
A Frank, or Frenchman
Latin Franciscus, from the Franks, the people who gave France its name.
Say it right
FRANsis
The Irish form is Proinsias.
The story of Francis
Francis comes from the medieval Latin Franciscus, meaning a Frank, one of the Germanic people whose name lives on in France. In Italian it became Francesco, and in Irish it is Proinsias.
The name spread through Europe thanks to Saint Francis of Assisi, the thirteenth-century friar who founded the Franciscans. He was christened Giovanni, but his father called him Francesco. In 2013 Jorge Mario Bergoglio chose the name when he became Pope Francis, the first pope to take it.
Francis was a standard Irish boys’ name for much of the twentieth century. In 1964, the first year of the CSO records, 429 boys were named Francis and it stood at number 16. It has fallen gradually since then, and in 2025 there were 14 boys named Francis. Many of them will be Frank or Frankie day to day.
Say it differently where you're from, or spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Sources
- Wiktionary: Francis (English proper noun)
- Wikipedia: Francis (given name)
- CSO VSA50, Boys Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
At a glance
Similar names
Sibling ideas
Nicknames
FrankFrankieFran
Spellings counted here
| Spelling | 2025 | All years |
|---|---|---|
| Francis | 14 | 7,282 |
In Northern Ireland
#237 in 2025 with 8 babies. Best rank #100 (1997); 327 babies since 1997.
Source: NISRA, Open Government Licence.