Given name & surname
Ferenc
“an independent man; one who is free”
Ferenc is used as a given name and a surname. One Hungarian interpretation is “an independent man; one who is free.”
Original HungarianFecó
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Hungarian interpretation is “an independent man; one who is free.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Hungarian.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1962. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Ferenc through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 37
- 37 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1963
- 6 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 2005. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 595 as a first name in 2020; 491 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.
Ferenc’s family of names
In Hungarian usage, Ferenc has a diminutive in Fecó. Ferenc shares a linguistic root with Francesco. Ferenc is a form of Francis.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Ferenc has relatives in 8 languages. Lines run from its Hungarian roots to each of them.
Nicknames & forms 15
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 23
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Ferenc
- Ferenc PuskásHungarian association football player (1927–2006)
- Ferenc GyurcsányPrime Minister of Hungary from 2004 to 2009born 1961
- Ferenc KrauszAustrian-Hungarian laser physicist and university teacher (born 1962)
- Franz LehárKomárom-born Austrian music composer (1870–1948)
- Ferenc MádlHungarian politician (1931-2011)
- Ferenc MolnárHungarian-born dramatist and novelist (1878-1952)
- Ferenc SzálasiHungarian fascist politician, executed for war crimes (1897-1946)
- Ferenc DeákHungarian politician (1803-1876)
- Ferenc ErkelHungarian composer, conductor and pianist (1810–1893)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Ferenc, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Endre
“manly; a warrior”
>99% boys
Zsolt
“one who is honored”
>99% boys
Zoltan
“a kingly man; a sultan”
>99% boys
Barry
“a fair-haired man”
>99% boys
Dorjan
“a dark man”
>99% boys
Jeffery
“a man of peace”
>99% boys
Glenn
“from the valley between the hills” · “from the secluded narrow valley”
>99% boys
Kenny
“born of fire” · “handsome, fair one”
98% boys · 2% girls