This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Kornfan71 (talk | contribs) at 00:55, 21 July 2007 (Reverted 1 edit by 74.193.94.120 identified as vandalism to last revision by MartinBot. using TW). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 00:55, 21 July 2007 by Kornfan71 (talk | contribs) (Reverted 1 edit by 74.193.94.120 identified as vandalism to last revision by MartinBot. using TW)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Francis is an English first name and a surname ultimately descended from the Italian name Francesco, the name Francis of Assisi.
Francis is a name that has many derivatives, the most common being Frank. The female version of the name in English is Frances, with emphasis on the letter e, and (less commonly) Francine. The name Fran is a common diminutive for Francis, Frances and Francine.
Related names in other languages
Related names are common in other Western European languages, in countries that are (or were before the Reformation) Catholic. These names include:
- Italian: Francesco, Franco, Francesca (female version)
- Latin: Franciscus
- Spanish: Francisco, Paco, Fran, Quico, Pancho, Cisco, Chisco...
- Portuguese: Francisco
- French: François, Frank, Franck
- German: Franziskus, Franz
- Greek: Frangiskos
- Hungarian: Ferenc
- Irish: Pronsious
- Croatian: Franjo, Frano, Frane
Derivation
Francesco was the name given to Saint Francis of Assisi by his father in memory of the boy's mother, a Frenchwoman, who died when the child was still in his early years. It means 'Little Frenchman'. The name of France itself comes from the Germanic people known as the Franks; the origin of their name is unclear but perhaps meaning "free".