Name Generator

How popular is the name Frances?

Births per year, rank history and how many Franceses are alive today.

Frances (female), once a common girls' name, is now an uncommon choice for new babies in England and Wales, ranked 379th in 2025 with 112 given the name. The name peaked in 1904, when around 2,100 babies were given the name, the 37th most popular that year. It has declined since 1904; the 2025 figure is roughly 5% of its peak. Numbers have been stable in recent years. At least 79,000 babies have been named Frances in England and Wales since 1904. Figures before 1996 are estimates. Common short forms of Frances include Frankie and Fanny.

The Frances you are most likely to meet is around 81 years old. Half of all Franceses born in England and Wales are between 44 and 79, and there are at least 31,000 of them alive today. If you walk into a room of 100 females, there's roughly a 9.4% chance that at least one of them will be called Frances.

How many babies are named Frances each year?

01k2k1920194019601980200020201904: ~2,090 estimated (1,584-2,596)1914: ~1,879 estimated (1,424-2,335)1924: ~1,098 estimated (825-1,370)1934: ~621 estimated (444-798)1944: ~877 estimated (665-1,088)1954: ~574 estimated (410-739)1964: ~451 estimated (342-559)1996: 2741997: 2421998: 2141999: 1592000: 1582001: 1252002: 1152003: 1032004: 1132005: 1012006: 1022007: 882008: 772009: 572010: 772011: 752012: 892013: 902014: 842015: 942016: 1192017: 1182018: 1112019: 1102020: 1262021: 1002022: 1002023: 952024: 1012025: 112estimatedactual

Where does Frances rank among girls' names?

1101001,0001920194019601980200020201904: ranked 371914: ranked 371924: ranked 461934: ranked 551944: ranked 481954: ranked 691964: ranked 891996: ranked 1611997: ranked 1811998: ranked 2011999: ranked 2522000: ranked 2492001: ranked 2952002: ranked 3132003: ranked 3592004: ranked 3402005: ranked 3902006: ranked 4102007: ranked 4582008: ranked 5002009: ranked 6472010: ranked 5212011: ranked 5522012: ranked 4932013: ranked 4662014: ranked 5032015: ranked 4612016: ranked 3822017: ranked 3832018: ranked 4002019: ranked 3922020: ranked 3522021: ranked 4382022: ranked 4242023: ranked 4292024: ranked 4252025: ranked 379

Where this data comes from

Figures from 1996 onwards are the Office for National Statistics' annual baby-name registrations for England and Wales, which record every name given to three or more babies in a year. Figures before 1996 are estimates: the ONS published only top-100 rankings at ten-year intervals back to 1904, so counts for those years are modelled from the rankings, calibrated against Douglas Galbi's long-run research into English name frequencies, and shown with an uncertainty band. Estimates of living bearers combine these birth figures with national life tables and ONS mid-year population estimates.

One limit worth naming: these figures count names as registered at birth. Anyone who changes their name later in life - including trans people, and anyone who adopts a different name by deed poll or simply by use - is not reflected here. Birth registrations record where a name began, not the name a person lives with.

Chart: babies named Frances per year in England and Wales, 1904 to 2025, peaking at about 2,090 in 1904
Frances: births per year in England and Wales, 1904-2025. Free to share with a link back.

Common questions

When was the name Frances most popular?

Frances peaked in 1904, when around 2,100 babies in England and Wales were given the name.

How many people are called Frances?

At least 31,000 people named Frances born in England and Wales are alive today.

How old is the typical Frances?

Most living Franceses are between 44 and 79; the most common age is about 81.

Is Frances becoming more or less popular?

Well past its peak: today's figures are a fraction of the 1904 peak, though numbers have levelled off in recent years.






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