Given name & surname
Fanny
“French”·“garland”·“crown”
Fanny grew from an affectionate name into a name in its own right. English use connects it with Frances; French use includes both that borrowing and a familiar form of Stéphanie.
Meaning & origin
What it means
In its English Frances-family use, Fanny is connected with the older meaning “French” through Francis and Francesco. The French use as an affectionate form of Stéphanie belongs to a different family, associated with “garland” or “crown.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
In English, Fanny developed as a pet form of Frances. French borrowed the English name and also uses Fanny as an affectionate form of Stéphanie.
How it developed
English Fanny arose as a familiar form of Frances and came to be used independently. In French, English borrowing and a diminutive of Stéphanie provide two routes to the same spelling.
The story
Fanny was particularly popular in nineteenth-century English naming. The word’s slang meanings may also have influenced its reception and decline in English-speaking communities.
Fanny through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 9,654
- 0 boys · 9,654 girls
- Most popular year
- 1916
- 241 babies
- 2025
- 18
- #6,397 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +20%
- Rising
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 18 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 6,397 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 20.4% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 241 in 1916. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 10,752 as a first name in 2020; 190 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Fanny’s family of names
In English usage, Fanny is a diminutive of Frances. In English usage, Fanny has a related form in Fannie. Fanny is an affectionate form of Frances.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Fanny has relatives in 7 languages.
9 related names in 7 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 11
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- StefanieGerman
- Fanyaequivalent
- Faniequivalent
- Fanijaequivalent
- Faneyequivalent
- ФанниRussian
- Paneborrowing · Hawaiian
- Fanniborrowing · Finnish
Show 3 moreShow fewer
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Fanny
- Fanny ArdantFrench actress (born 1949)
- Fanny ElsslerAustrian ballerina (1810-1884)
- Fanny KaplanRussian assassin (1890-1918)
- Frances BurneyEnglish satirical novelist, diarist, playwright (1752-1840)
- Fanny HenselGerman pianist and composer (1805–1847)
- Fanny Blankers-KoenDutch track and field athlete (1918–2004)
- Fanny BriceAmerican actress, singer and comedian (1891–1951)
- Fanny Crosby19th century Christian hymnist1820–1915
- Fanny Bullock WorkmanAmerican geographer, cartographer, explorer, travel writer, and mountaineer (1859–1925)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
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