The first name François

François last appeared in the official list in 2024, given to 3 boys. It peaked in 2016, with 9 births (#2,335).

Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare François with other names.

In 2025, 18 boys born in the United States were named François, the 5,276th most popular boys’ name that year. It was used most in 1992, when 43 were.

US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.

• François Mitterrand
  21st President of the French Republic from 1981 to 1995 (1916–1996)
• François Rabelais
  16th-century French writer and humanist (1494–1553)
• François Mauriac
  French writer (1885-1970)
• François de La Rochefoucauld
  French author of maxims and memoirs (1613-1680)
• François Truffaut
  French film director (1932–1984)
• François Villon
  French poet and criminal, 1431–1463
• François-Auguste-René de Chateaubriand
  French writer, politician and historian (1768–1848)
• François Arago
  French mathematician, physicist, astronomer and politician (1786-1853)
• François Fénelon
  French archbishop, theologian and writer (1651–1715)
• François Jacob
  French biologist and geneticist, winner of the Nobel Prize in 1965
• François Guizot
  French historian, orator and statesman (1787–1874)
• François Quesnay
  French economist (1694–1774)

• Henry
• Louis
• Pierre
• Austin
• André
• Henri
• Jacques
• Georges
• Marcel
• Marc
• Antoine
• Alexandre
• Eduard
• Ray
• Guillaume
• Olivier

All 210 names of French origin

What does the name François mean?

Borrowed from French François, from Medieval Latin Franciscus (from Francia + -iscus).

What is the origin of the name François?

Borrowed from French François, from Medieval Latin Franciscus (from Francia + -iscus).

How popular is the name François?

In 2024, 3 boys born in England and Wales were named François, ranking 5,119th. Its peak was 2016, with 9 births.

Is François a boy's or a girl's name?

Mostly a boy's name: 100% of the 1,823 US babies named François since 1880 were boys.

When was François most popular?

1992 in the United States, when 43 babies were named François, its highest rank at 1,889th.

How do you pronounce François?

François is /fɹænswɑ/, 2 syllables.

Is François also a surname?

Yes. François is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.