Francesca
A feminine name of Italian origin meaning "free one".
Name Census estimates that about 32,367 living Americans carry the first name Francesca. It sits at #314 in the overall ranking, outside the top 50 but still well-represented. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Francesca today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Francesca births was 2024 (975 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Francesca. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
32K
~ 1 in 10,590 Americans
Peak year
2024
975 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
1989 SSA rank
#314
Tracked since 1895
Gender
Gender distribution for Francesca
Out of the 34,370 babies given the name Francesca since 1880, 99.9% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Francesca as a male name
- Ranked #5,825 in 1989
- 8 male births in 1989
- Peak: 1989 (8 births)
Francesca as a female name
- Ranked #314 in 2024
- 975 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (975 births)
Popularity
Francesca: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Francesca from the 1890s through to the 2020s, spanning 14 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 7,019 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Francesca remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Francesca by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Francesca during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Francescas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 46 states and territories. New York, California, New Jersey recorded the most babies named Francesca, while Vermont, Maine, West Virginia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 666 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Francesca
The name Francesca is derived from the Late Latin name Francisca, which was the feminine form of the masculine name Franciscus. Franciscus was derived from the Germanic name Franci, which referred to the Franks, a Germanic people who played a significant role in the history of Europe.
The name Francisca was first popularized in Italy during the Middle Ages, particularly due to the influence of Saint Francis of Assisi (1181-1226), the founder of the Franciscan Order. Saint Francis's dedication to poverty and humility inspired many followers, and the name became associated with his ideals.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Francesca can be found in Dante Alighieri's literary work, the Divine Comedy, written in the early 14th century. In the poem, Dante meets the character of Francesca da Rimini, a noblewoman who was condemned to Hell for her adulterous love affair.
Throughout history, several notable women have borne the name Francesca, including:
1. Francesca Caccini (1587-1640), an Italian composer and singer who was one of the first women to write an opera.
2. Francesca Woodman (1958-1981), an American photographer known for her black and white self-portraits.
3. Francesca da Rimini (c. 1255-1285), the historical figure depicted in Dante's Divine Comedy, who was condemned for her adulterous love affair.
4. Francesca Annis (born 1945), an English actress known for her roles in films like "Dune" and "Husbands and Wives."
5. Francesca Zambeccari (c. 1620-1701), an Italian painter and nun who specialized in still-life paintings.
The name Francesca has maintained its popularity throughout the centuries, particularly in Italy and other parts of Europe, as well as in regions with a strong Catholic or Christian influence due to its association with Saint Francis of Assisi.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Francesca
People
Francesca + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Francesca as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with F
Other first names starting with F with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Francesca: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Francesca?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 32,367 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Francesca going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 10,590 US residents.
Is Francesca a common name?
We classify Francesca as "Uncommon". It ranks above 98.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 34,370 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Francesca most popular?
The single biggest year for Francesca was 2024, when 975 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Francesca is about 26 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Francesca a female name?
Yes, 99.9% of people registered as Francesca in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.