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) RegSoABap p. 10;
1566 ffrancisca (nom) ibid. p. 11;
1566/7 ffransisca (nom) ibid. p. 13;
1567 ffrancisca (nom) ibid. p. 13;
1568 ffrances (nom) Chst-1 p. 11;
1569 ffrancisca (nom) RegSoABap p. 16;
1591 ffrancisca (nom) RegSoAMar p. 15;
1593 ffrancis (nom) ibid. p. 16,
ffrancisca (nom) ibid. p. 16;
1594 ffrancis (nom) ibid. p. 16
- 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 SaxhamSf p. 2;
1573 Frances Bar-in-El p. 21;
1574 Frances ibid. p. 23;
1579 ffrancis RegSoAMar p. 9;
1581 ffrancis ibid. p. 10;
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;
1584 ffrancis RegSoAMar p. 11;
1586 Frances Bar-in-El p. 15,
ffrancis RegSoAMar p. 13;
1587 Frances bruton1 p. 47;
1588 Frances Bar-in-El p. 26,
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 ibid. 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,
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;
1599 Frances BUmar-vol2 p. 142,
Francis SaxhamSf p. 5,
Frauncis BUmar-vol2 p. 118
- 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: J. Uckelman, S.L. Uckelman. "Frances". In S.L. Uckelman, ed. The Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, Edition 2019, no. 1. http://dmnes.org/2019/1/name/Frances.