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

Frances, 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 Frances surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Frances in America

Frances is the 13627th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Frances surname appeared 2,222 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Frances.

We can also compare 2010 data for Frances 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 Frances

The surname Frances is of English origin, deriving from the Old French word "Franceis" which means "French" or "Frenchman." It is believed to have emerged in the 11th century, following the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.

The name was initially given as a descriptive surname to individuals who had ties to France, either through ancestry or place of birth. It was commonly used to distinguish immigrants from France or individuals of French descent living in England during the medieval period.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Frances can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Franciscus." This document, commissioned by William the Conqueror, served as a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation in England.

In the 13th century, the surname was also recorded in various forms such as "Fraunceys," "Fraunceis," and "Frauncays" in various medieval records and manuscripts. These variations reflect the evolving spelling and pronunciation of the name over time.

Notable figures bearing the surname Frances throughout history include:

1. Sir Philip Frances (1590-1676), an English courtier and politician who served as a Member of Parliament during the reign of Charles I.

2. John Frances (1775-1861), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a vice-admiral.

3. William Frances (1661-1701), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Northamptonshire in the late 17th century.

4. Robert Frances (1604-1675), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford from 1660 to 1662.

5. Thomas Frances (1590-1652), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament and held various legal positions during the reign of Charles I.

The surname Frances can also be found in various place names across England, such as Francesfield in Yorkshire and Francestown in Hampshire, which may have derived from individuals bearing this surname who settled in these areas or owned land there.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Frances

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

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 Frances 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 Frances 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 Frances was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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