2000
#12,193
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,343
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.87
Rare Last name
Frances
An anglicized form of the French surname "François," meaning "Frenchman" or "free man."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,392 Americans carry the last name Frances. That puts it at #13,871 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 143,292 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Frances surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Frances with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 143,292
Census rank
#13,871
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,086 bearers of the surname Frances in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13871st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Frances, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.9%. The next largest groups are Black (22.1%) and Hispanic (20.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Frances
Among Census respondents with the surname Frances, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.9%. The next largest groups are Black (22.1%) and Hispanic (20.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Frances bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Frances surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White49.9% · 1,041
- Black or African American22.1% · 461
- Hispanic or Latino20.8% · 433
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 60
- Two or more races2.3% · 49
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 42
Timeline
Historical Census data for Frances
Frances appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#13,627
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,222
-121 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 1,434 places
2020
#13,871
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,086
-136 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 244 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,193 | 2,343 | 0.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,627 | 2,222 | 0.75 | -121 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 1,434 places |
| 2020 | #13,871 | 2,086 | 0.70 | -136 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 244 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Frances surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #13,627 | #13,871 | -1.8% |
| Count | 2,222 | 2,086 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.75 | 0.70 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Frances bearers went from 2,222 to 2,086 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 244 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,627 to #13,871.
FAQ
Frances surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Frances?
Name Census estimates that about 2,392 living Americans carry the surname Frances. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 143,292 residents.
How common is Frances?
Frances ranks #13,871 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,086 people with the surname Frances. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,392), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Frances.
Has Frances become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Frances went from 2,222 recorded bearers to 2,086. That is a decrease of 136 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,627 to #13,871.
What does the Census say about the background of Frances?
Among Census respondents with the surname Frances, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.9%. The next largest groups are Black (22.1%) and Hispanic (20.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Frances in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.9% (1,041 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Frances appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (49.9%), Black (22.1%), Hispanic (20.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Frances (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Frances mean?
An anglicized form of the French surname "François," meaning "Frenchman" or "free man." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Frances (0.70 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Frances?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.