Dictionary of Medieval Names
from European Sources

Frances f. Latin Francisca 'Frankish, Frenchwoman'.

The name of a 15th C Italian saint.

Fem. of Francis, the name of an important saint. Italian Franzia developed from the German and Dutch masculine form Frans. The name was always more common on the continent than in England before the 16th C, but the name is almost unheard of before the 14th C.

England
Latin
1554 Francisca (nom) StMartF p. 58; 1559 Francisca (nom) ibid. p. 59; 1560/1 ffrancisca (nom) RegSoABap p. 3; 1561 ffrancisca (nom) ibid. p. 3; 1562 ffrancisca (nom) ibid. p. 6; 1563 ffrancisca (nom) ibid. p. 7; 1563/4 ffrancisca (nom) ibid. p. 8; 1563 ffrancisca (nom) RegSoAMar p. 3; 1565 ffrancisca (nom) Reg-KirkElla p. 5, RegSoABap p. 10; 1566 ffrancisca (nom) ibid. p. 11; 1566/7 ffransisca (nom) ibid. p. 13; 1567 ffrancisca (nom) Reg-KirkElla p. 6, RegSoABap p. 13; 1568 ffrances (nom) Chst-1 p. 11; 1568/9 ffrancisca (nom) Reg-KirkElla p. 7; 1569 ffrancisca (nom) ibid. p. 7; 1569/70 ffrancisca (nom) ibid. p. 7; 1569 ffrancisca (nom) RegSoABap p. 16; 1571 ffransisca (nom) Reg-KirkElla p. 7; 1578/9 ffransisca (nom) ibid. p. 9; 1591 ffrancisca (nom) RegSoAMar p. 15; 1593 ffrancis (nom) ibid. p. 16, ffrancisca (nom) ibid. p. 16; 1594 ffrancis (nom) ibid. p. 16
Dutch
1589 Francynken AuFr p. 88
Early Modern English
1538 Francis StAnthonlin p. 1; 1550 Frances ExMar 2a; 1557 Frances PRThirsk p. 3; 1558 ffraunces StMaryA p. 3; 1558/9 ffrauncis RegSoABap p. 2; 1559 ffrauncis ibid. p. 2; 1562 Franceyse WAmar-1 p. 108; 1565 Frances StAnthonlin p. 17; 1566 Frances ibid. p. 18; 1568 Frances Bar-in-El p. 12; 1569 Frannces RegBisham p. 3; 1570 Frawncys BUmar-vol1 p. 25; 1571/2 Frances bruton1 p. 113; 1571 ffrancis RegSoAMar p. 6; 1572 Francis RegPat p. 31, SaxhamSf p. 2; 1573 Frances Bar-in-El p. 21, RegPat p. 1; 1574 Frances Bar-in-El p. 23; 1575/6 Francis RegPat p. 32; 1577 Frances ibid. p. 33; 1578 Frances ibid. p. 33; 1578/9 Frances ibid. p. 33; 1579/80 Frances ibid. p. 34; 1579 ffrancis RegSoAMar p. 9; 1580 Frances RegPat p. 34; 1581 ffrancis RegSoAMar p. 10; 1582 Frances DEmar-vol2 p. 7, RegPat p. 34, Francis BUmar-vol9 p. 7; 1583 Frances StAnthonlin p. 30, Francis ibid. p. 30, Frauncys BUmar-vol1 p. 26; 1584 ffrancis RegSoAMar p. 11; 1585 Frances RegPat p. 3; 1585/6 Frances ibid. p. 36; 1586 Frances Bar-in-El p. 15, ffrancis RegBath p. 7, RegSoAMar p. 13; 1587 Frances bruton1 p. 47; 1588 Frances Bar-in-El p. 26, RegPat p. 3, StAnthonlin p. 33, bruton1 p. 117, Francis CAmar-vol1 p. 4, StAnthonlin p. 33, ffrancis RegSoAMar p. 13; 1589 Frances BEmar-vol2 p. 130, bruton1 p. 48, Francis StAnthonlin p. 33, Frawncys BUmar-vol1 p. 26; 1590 Frances BUmar-vol2 p. 65, Francis CAmar-vol1 p. 4, StAnthonlin p. 34, ffrancis RegSoAMar p. 15; 1591 ffrancis ibid. p. 15; 1592 Frances BUmar-vol2 p. 65, bruton1 p. 52; 1593 Frances RegPat p. 39; 1593/4 Frances ibid. p. 40; 1593 Frances bruton1 p. 53, Franncis BEmar-vol1 p. 16, Frawncys BUmar-vol1 p. 27; 1594 Frances BUmar-vol9 p. 8, bruton1 p. 10; 1595 Frances DEmar-vol2 p. 31, RegPat p. 40, Francis CAmar-vol1 p. 5; 1595/6 Fraunces HAmar-vol9 p. 51; 1596 Frances BUmar-vol9 p. 9; 1597 Frances DEmar-vol2 p. 37, bruton1 p. 124; 1598 Frances DEmar-vol2 p. 39, RegPat p. 42; 1599 Frances BUmar-vol2 p. 142, Francis SaxhamSf p. 5, Frauncis BUmar-vol2 p. 118
Middle French
1569/70 franchoise WCS p. 6; 1570 francoise ibid. p. 6; 1572/3 francoise ibid. p. 7; 1573 francoise ibid. p. 9; 1576 francoise ibid. p. 12; 1578 francoise ibid. p. 14, françoise ibid. p. 44; 1579 francoise ibid. p. 14; 1580 francoise ibid. p. 15, françoise ibid. p. 87; 1581 francoise ibid. p. 88; 1582 francoise ibid. p. 88; 1583 francoise ibid. p. 17; 1584 Françoise ibid. p. 46; 1585 Francoise ibid. p. 46; 1587 Francoise ibid. p. 47; 1589 Francoise ibid. p. 48, Françoise ibid. p. 90; 1598 Françoise ibid. p. 52
Walloon
1583 Francois RWC p. 437, Francoise ibid. p. 563; 1584 Francoise ibid. p. 8; 1590/1 Françoise ibid. p. 16; 1592 Francoise ibid. p. 21, Françoice ibid. p. 22, Françoise ibid. p. 21; 1592/3 Françoise ibid. p. 564; 1593 Francoise ibid. p. 27; 1593/4 Francoise ibid. p. 31; 1593 Françoyse ibid. p. 28; 1594 Francoise ibid. p. 33
1594 Fransine RWC p. 33
France
Latin
1503 Francesie (dat) MHCG2 278
Middle French
1493 Francoise MSR1838 p. 379, Françoise ibid. p. 373; 1561 Françoise RegPCC-1 p. 529; 1562 Françoise ibid. p. 8; 1563 Françoise ibid. p. 28, Françoyse ibid. p. 28; 1564 Françoise ibid. p. 51, Françoyse ibid. p. 50; 1565 Françoise ibid. p. 116, Françoyse ibid. p. 110; 1566 Françoise ibid. p. 211, Françoyse ibid. p. 204; 1567 Françoyse ibid. p. 281; 1568 Françoise ibid. p. 366, Françoyse ibid. p. 375; 1570 Françoyse ibid. p. 423; 1571 Françoise ibid. p. 448, Françoyse ibid. p. 443; 1572 Françoyse ibid. p. 490; 1587 Françoise RTFProvins 44
Italy
Latin
1310 Franzia (nom) MonRav-2 CCCL; 1348 Francisca (nom) INP 22, Francisce (gen) ibid. 25; 1360[1370] Francischa (nom) Livi 263; 1366 Francischam (acc) ibid. 90; 1367 Francischam (acc) ibid. 126; 1387 Francescha (nom) Venditti II-2024; 1461 Francesiam (acc) MHCG2 230, Franciscam (acc) ibid. 230; 1521 Francisca (nom) VitAs2 III; 1522x1532 Francesca (nom) DSF p. 56, 13
1265x1339 Franzina (nom) BBC-Berg 92; 1348 Cecchola (abl) INP 24; 1366 Franceschinam (acc) Livi 35; 1391 Ceccha (abl) Venditti I-3; 1522x1532 Cecha (nom) DSF p. 53, 43
Italian
1513x1521 Francescha LeoX p. 20
Spain
Latin
1487 Franciscam (acc) carbonell-I p. 12
1487 Francina (nom) carbonell-I p. 11, Francoya (nom) ibid. p. 12; 1488 Francina (nom) ibid. p. 16, Francinae (gen) ibid. p. 17; 1489 Francina (nom) ibid. p. 34; 1490 Francina (nom) ibid. p. 42; 1491 Francina (nom) ibid. p. 55, Francinæ (gen) ibid. p. 57, Francoya (nom) ibid. p. 60; 1492 Francina (nom) ibid. p. 66
Catalan
1510 Francesca valencia1510 3808
1510 Francina valencia1510 3177
Spanish
1575 Francisca Catalogo-5.2 3788; 1576 Francisca ibid. 3884
Switzerland
Latin
14thCx1478 Francesia (nom) Ob-SPVn (47); 1417 Francesie (gen) MHCG2 472; 1436 Francesie (dat) ibid. 210
Middle French
1563 Francoyse MHCG2 341
Cite as: A. Brown, J. Uckelman, S.L. Uckelman. "Frances". In S.L. Uckelman, ed. The Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, Edition 2023, no. 1. http://dmnes.org/2023/1/name/Frances.