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Dictionary of Medieval Names
from European Sources
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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; 1568 ffrances (nom) Chst-1 p. 11
Early Modern English
● 1538 Francis StAnthonlin p. 1; 1550 Frances ExMar 2a; 1557 Frances PRThirsk p. 3; 1558 ffraunces StMaryA p. 3; 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; 1572 Francis SaxhamSf p. 2; 1573 Frances Bar-in-El p. 21; 1574 Frances ibid. p. 23; 1582 Frances DEmar-vol2 p. 7, Francis BUmar-vol9 p. 7; 1583 Frances StAnthonlin p. 30, Francis ibid. p. 30, Frauncys BUmar-vol1 p. 26; 1586 Frances Bar-in-El p. 15; 1587 Frances bruton-vol1 p. 47; 1588 Frances Bar-in-El p. 26, StAnthonlin p. 33, Francis CAmar-vol1 p. 4, StAnthonlin p. 33; 1589 Frances BEmar-vol2 p. 130, bruton-vol1 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; 1592 Frances BUmar-vol2 p. 65, bruton-vol1 p. 52; 1593 Frances ibid. p. 53, Franncis BEmar-vol1 p. 16, Frawncys BUmar-vol1 p. 27; 1594 Frances BUmar-vol9 p. 8, bruton-vol1 p. 10; 1595 Frances DEmar-vol2 p. 31, Francis CAmar-vol1 p. 5; 1595/6 Fraunces HAmar-vol9 p. 51; 1596 Frances BUmar-vol9 p. 9; 1597 Frances DEmar-vol2 p. 37; 1598 Frances ibid. p. 39; 1599 Frances BUmar-vol2 p. 142, Francis SaxhamSf p. 5, Frauncis BUmar-vol2 p. 118
France
Middle French
● 1493 Francoise MSR1838 p. 379, Françoise ibid. p. 373; 1562 Françoise RegPCC-1 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
Italy
Latin
● 1310 Franzia (nom) MonRav-2 CCCL; 1348 Francisca (nom) INP 22, Francisce (gen) ibid. 25; 1522x1532 Francesca (nom) DSF p. 56, 13
◑ 1265x1339 Franzina (nom) BBC-Berg 92; 1348 Cecchola (abl) INP 24; 1522x1532 Cecha (nom) DSF p. 53, 43
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)
Cite as: J. Uckelman, S.L. Uckelman. "Frances". In S.L. Uckelman, ed. The Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, Edition 2016, no. 4. http://dmnes.org/2016/4/name/Frances.