Frances is a distinctive choice, ranked #379 in 2025. Your child is likely to be the only Frances in their class.
💎
UK Rank 2025
#379
US Rank #318
Ad
About the Name Frances
Frances is gradually declining in popularity, having dropped 73 places over five years. Its high point was #161 in 1996, and it now sits at #425. The name has been a consistent presence in UK records since 1996.
Frances is fairly common in the UK, so your child is very likely to be the only Frances in their class.
In the US it ranks even higher at #379, where it enjoys a particularly strong following.
⭐ Famous People Named Frances
Frances Karttunen — Frances Esther Karttunen, also known as Frances Ruley Karttunen, is an American academic linguist, historian and author.
Frances Ford Seymour — Frances Ford Seymour Fonda was a Canadian-American socialite.
Frances Perkins — Frances Perkins was an American workers-rights advocate who served as the fourth United States secretary of labor from 1933 to 1945, the longest serving in that position.
Biographical summaries are shortened from Wikipedia and are used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence; those summaries remain available under that same licence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Frances
Unlikely. With around 112 UK babies named Frances per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Frances in their class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Frances has been fairly steady, ranked #379 in 2025 against #352 in 2020. Its best recorded position was #161 in 1996.
Frances is more popular in the US (#379) than in the UK (#425). Names with strong rankings in both countries tend to have broad cross-cultural appeal, working well for international families or those with ties to both nations.
Notable people named Frances include: Frances Karttunen and Frances Tiafoe. Short summaries for each appear below.
Frances appears in the US top 500 at #379 in 2024 — moderately popular in America, though less so than in the UK.
112
UK babies named Frances (2025)
< 1
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
~0.1
In a school of 600
↓ 27 places
Rank change (last 5 years)
🏫 Who else is in the room?
In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Frances
Almost certainly the only Frances in the class
Ad
UK Popularity (1996–2025)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
US Popularity (2020–2025)
Rank · SSA official data
✨ Similar names to Frances
Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story
Frances Perkins was an American workers-rights advocate who served as the fourth United States secretary of labor from 1933 to 1945, the longest serving in that position.
Frances Carr, Countess of Somerset, was an English noblewoman who was the central figure in a famous scandal and murder during the reign of King James I.
Frances Nelson, Viscountess Nelson, Duchess of Bronte was the wife of Horatio Nelson, the British naval officer who won several victories over the French during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.