2000
#116,835
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 138
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Francos
From the masculine form of the French word "franc" meaning free or frank.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Francos. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Francos 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.
Bearers in the US
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Francos in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Francos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 69.5%. The next largest groups are White (20.0%) and Black (10.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Francos
The surname Francos has its origins in Spain, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "franco," which means "free" or "exempt from taxation." This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name were individuals who were granted certain privileges or exemptions by the Spanish monarchy or nobility.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Francos can be found in the Libro de las Behetrias, a 14th-century Spanish manuscript that documented the legal status of towns and villages in the region of Castile. In this text, several individuals with the surname Francos are mentioned as residents of various towns and villages.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the Francos name appears in various historical documents and records from Spain. Notably, Pedro Francos (c. 1460-1530) was a prominent Spanish sculptor and architect who contributed to the construction of several notable buildings, including the Cathedral of Seville and the Royal Alcázar of Seville.
In the 17th century, the Francos name gained further prominence with Juan Francos de Velasco (1585-1657), a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Puerto Rico from 1641 to 1647. His tenure was marked by efforts to fortify the island's defenses against external threats.
Another notable individual with the surname Francos was Diego Francos de Monroy (1642-1705), a Spanish lawyer and jurist who served as a magistrate in the Royal Chancery of Valladolid, one of the highest courts in Spain during that period.
The Francos surname also found its way to the Americas during the Spanish colonization era. One example is Juan Francos Orozco (c. 1650-1720), a Spanish soldier and explorer who was involved in the exploration and settlement of what is now northern Mexico and the southwestern United States.
While the Francos surname has its roots in Spain, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly Latin American countries with strong Spanish cultural influences. However, the earliest records and most prominent historical figures associated with this surname can be traced back to the Iberian Peninsula during the medieval and early modern periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Francos
Among Census respondents with the surname Francos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 69.5%. The next largest groups are White (20.0%) and Black (10.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Francos 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 Francos surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino69.5% · 73
- White20.0% · 21
- Black or African American10.5% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Francos
Francos 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-22 bearers (-15.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 26,314 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-11 bearers (-9.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,840 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #116,835 | 138 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | -22 bearers (-15.9%) | Down 26,314 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-9.5%) | Down 9,840 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 Francos 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 | #143,149 | #152,989 | -6.9% |
| Count | 116 | 105 | -9.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Francos bearers went from 116 to 105 (-9.5% change). The surname moved down 9,840 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #152,989.
FAQ
Francos surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Francos?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Francos. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Francos?
Francos ranks #152,989 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 105 people with the surname Francos. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Francos.
Has Francos become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Francos went from 116 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 11 (-9.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Francos?
Among Census respondents with the surname Francos, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 69.5%. The next largest groups are White (20.0%) and Black (10.5%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Francos in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.5% (73 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Francos appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (69.5%), White (20.0%), Black (10.5%). 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 Francos (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 Francos mean?
From the masculine form of the French word "franc" meaning free or frank. 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 Francos (0.04 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 Francos?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.