Find out how popular the last name Francis is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Francis.

Francis, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Francis surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Francis in America

Francis is the 108734th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Francis surname appeared 163 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Francis.

We can also compare 2010 data for Francis to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Francis

The surname FRACIS originated in France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "franci," which means "free" or "frank." This name was likely given to someone who held a high social status or was considered a freeman.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name FRACIS can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive record of landowners and property holders in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Franceis" and is listed as a landowner in the county of Somerset.

During the 12th century, the name FRACIS gained prominence in the region of Normandy, France. In 1189, a knight named Raoul FRACIS accompanied King Richard I on the Third Crusade to the Holy Land. His name is recorded in the chronicles of the crusade.

In the 13th century, the name FRACIS became associated with the village of Francisvilliers in the Picardy region of northern France. This village name likely originated from a landowner or noble with the surname FRACIS who held land in the area.

One notable bearer of the FRACIS surname was Jean FRACIS (c. 1330-1395), a French philosopher and theologian who studied at the University of Paris. He wrote several influential works on logic and metaphysics during his lifetime.

Another prominent individual with the FRACIS surname was Pierre FRACIS (1592-1665), a French mathematician and astronomer. He made significant contributions to the development of calculus and is credited with discovering the first known algebraic curve.

In the 16th century, the FRACIS family established themselves in the region of Brittany, France. One member of this family, René FRACIS (1548-1621), was a renowned architect who designed several notable buildings, including the Château de Vitre.

During the 17th century, the FRACIS surname spread to other parts of Europe, including England and Germany. In 1684, a merchant named Jacques FRACIS (1640-1712) emigrated from France to England, where he established a successful trading company in London.

Throughout its history, the FRACIS surname has been associated with various noble families, scholars, and prominent figures across Europe, reflecting its roots as a name associated with freedom and high social status in medieval France.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Francis

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Francis.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Francis was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Francis has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Francis was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Francis, please contact us.

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