Name Generator

How popular is the name Francis?

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

Francis (male) sits just outside the top 100 boys' names in England and Wales, ranked 193rd in 2025 with 262 babies given the name. The name peaked in 1904, when around 5,200 babies were given the name, the 28th 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 140,000 babies have been named Francis in England and Wales since 1904. Figures before 1996 are estimates. Common short forms of Francis include Frank, Frankie and Franky.

The Francis you are most likely to meet is around 63 years old. Half of all Francises born in England and Wales are between 46 and 76, and there are at least 44,000 of them alive today. If you walk into a room of 100 males, there's roughly a 14% chance that at least one of them will be called Francis.

How many babies are named Francis each year?

02k4k6k1920194019601980200020201904: ~5,165 estimated (3,575-6,756)1914: ~3,514 estimated (2,531-4,498)1924: ~1,951 estimated (1,361-2,541)1934: ~1,333 estimated (936-1,730)1944: ~1,016 estimated (790-1,242)1954: ~947 estimated (756-1,137)1964: ~908 estimated (641-1,174)1996: 1721997: 1701998: 1731999: 1712000: 1522001: 1502002: 1592003: 1732004: 1762005: 1722006: 1902007: 1952008: 1682009: 1592010: 1512011: 1532012: 1882013: 2102014: 2552015: 2372016: 2592017: 2332018: 2172019: 2642020: 2382021: 2462022: 2442023: 2122024: 2572025: 262estimatedactual

Where does Francis rank among boys' names?

1101005001920194019601980200020201904: ranked 281914: ranked 341924: ranked 431934: ranked 421944: ranked 541954: ranked 611964: ranked 821996: ranked 1881997: ranked 1901998: ranked 1911999: ranked 1922000: ranked 2122001: ranked 2092002: ranked 2122003: ranked 2092004: ranked 2102005: ranked 2162006: ranked 2152007: ranked 2252008: ranked 2582009: ranked 2742010: ranked 2982011: ranked 2912012: ranked 2562013: ranked 2412014: ranked 2232015: ranked 2352016: ranked 2162017: ranked 2322018: ranked 2382019: ranked 1962020: ranked 2162021: ranked 2152022: ranked 2082023: ranked 2312024: ranked 1932025: ranked 193

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 Francis per year in England and Wales, 1904 to 2025, peaking at about 5,165 in 1904
Francis: births per year in England and Wales, 1904-2025. Free to share with a link back.

Common questions

When was the name Francis most popular?

Francis peaked in 1904, when around 5,200 babies in England and Wales were given the name.

How many people are called Francis?

At least 44,000 people named Francis born in England and Wales are alive today.

How old is the typical Francis?

Most living Francises are between 46 and 76; the most common age is about 63.

Is Francis 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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