# France (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/france/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys and girls |
| Origin | not recorded |
| Meaning | “a frank”, “javelin” |
| Pronunciation | /fɹæns/, 1 syllable |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | Fraunce |
| US babies named this | 1,538 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 379 / 1,159 (75% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | not in the ONS data |

## Etymology

From Middle English France, from Old French France, from Latin Francia, from Francī, the name of a Germanic tribe, of unclear (but Proto-Germanic) origin. Believed to be most likely from Frankish *Frankō (“a Frank”), from Proto-Germanic *frankô (“javelin”). Compare Frank. Displaced native Old English Francland (see modern Frankland).

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 10 | 6,343 |
| 1980 | 14 | 5,059 |
| 1981 | 11 | 6,011 |
| 1982 | 9 | 7,056 |
| 1985 | 8 | 7,800 |
| 1986 | 6 | 9,931 |
| 1987 | 7 | 9,092 |
| 1988 | 6 | 10,789 |
| 1989 | 7 | 10,049 |
| 1990 | 6 | 11,862 |
| 1991 | 10 | 8,166 |
| 1993 | 5 | 14,225 |
| 1995 | 5 | 14,175 |
| 1999 | 5 | 15,188 |
| 2015 | 5 | 17,349 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1943 | 6 | 3,347 |
| 1944 | 5 | 3,601 |
| 1947 | 11 | 2,416 |
| 1948 | 6 | 3,439 |
| 1951 | 6 | 3,482 |
| 1954 | 6 | 3,572 |
| 1955 | 5 | 4,053 |
| 1960 | 6 | 3,793 |
| 1964 | 5 | 4,251 |
| 1966 | 7 | 3,336 |
| 1970 | 5 | 4,968 |
| 1971 | 5 | 5,169 |
| 1982 | 6 | 5,887 |
| 1992 | 5 | 8,864 |
| 2021 | 5 | 12,744 |

## In other languages

- Arabic: فَرَنْسَا f or فَرَنْسَة, فَرَنْجَة, فرنسا
- Armenian: Ֆրանսիա
- Bulgarian: Фра́нция
- Catalan: França
- Chinese: Фагуй, Фагуә, 法國 /法国, 法國 /法国
- Czech: Francie
- Danish: Frankrig
- Dutch: Frankrijk
- Esperanto: Francio, Francujo
- Estonian: Prantsusmaa
- Finnish: Ranska
- French: France
- Georgian: საფრანგეთი
- German: Frankreich, Frankriich, Frankrych, Frànkrych
- Greek: Γαλλία
- Hebrew: צָרְפַת
- Hindi: फ़्रांस, फ़्रान्स
- Hungarian: Franciaország
- Icelandic: Frakkland
- Indonesian: Prancis, Perancis

## People named France

- France Nuyen, French actress
- France A. Córdova, American astrophysicist and university president (born 1947)
- France Gareau, Canadian athletics competitor (born 1967)
- France Roche, French actress
- France Anglade, French actress (1942–2014)
- France Castel, Canadian actor, television presenter and radio host
- France Jamet, French politician
- Marie-France Dufour, French singer (1949-1990)
- France Clidat, French pianist
- France Saint-Louis, Canadian ice hockey player
- France Ellegaard, Finnish musician and pianist (1913–1999)
- France Rumilly, French actress

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.