Frances Name Origin, Meaning and Family History

Frances Name Meaning: Originates from the Latin name 'Franciscus', meaning 'free man', was also used by the Romans as a name for the French.

Originally a name for the French used by the Romans, this name became popular as a surname around the 1100's and was probably given as a surname to someone French or with French ancestry.

Discover how your Frances ancestors earned their living and spread across the country. Find out more about your family history by using the Free Search box.

Surname Distribution

Census frequency by county

Name Concentrations Within England and Wales

Frances Surname Statistics


Top Professions for the Frances family

Profession Census Frequency
School 66
General Servant (domestic) 16
Farm Labourer 16
Private Means 15
Domestic Servant 13
Farmer 9
General Servant Domestic 8
None 8
At School 8
Labourer 8
Cook (domestic) 7
Coal Miner Hewer 7
Domestic 7
House Keeper 6
House Wife 6
Dressmaker 6
General Servant 6
Carman 5
Cook 5
Housemaid (domestic) 5
Housemaid Domestic 5
No Occupation 5
Housekeeper 5
Housemaid 5
Grocer 4

Frances Surname Variants Ranking

Rank Surname Match Census Frequency
1 Francis 86% 124,433
2 Frances 100% 32,385
3 Francies 88% 1,105
4 Francois 75% 149
5 Francess 88% 146

Did you know?

The surname Frances is the 2nd most popular variant of Francis.

Search for the Frances family