Given name & surname
Françoise
Françoise is a feminine given name. It is used in French.
Meaning & origin
Where it comes from
In French use, Françoise is a feminine form of François. An origin associated with François is Old French.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In French usage, Françoise is a feminine form of François.
The story
In French use, Françoise is a feminine form of François. The history of François gives this family its wider story. François’s historical associations include two kings of France: Francois I, otherwise known as Francois d’Angouléme.
Explained through its name family
Françoise’s family of names
Françoise has an affectionate form in Francine. In French usage, Françoise is a feminine form of François. In French usage, Françoise has a conventional equivalent in the English form Frances.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Françoise has relatives in 23 languages.
25 related names in 23 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 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 26
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- FrancescaItalian, Corsican
- FrancesEnglish
- FranciscaSpanish, Portuguese
- Francaequivalent
- Paquitaequivalent
- FranciszkaPolish
- FranziskaGerman
- Frankaequivalent
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People named Françoise
- Françoise Barré-SinoussiFrench virologist and Nobel laureate, co-discoverer of HIVborn 1947
- Françoise SaganFrench writer (1935-2004)
- Françoise HardyFrench singer (1944–2024)
- Françoise d'Aubigné, Marquise de MaintenonMistress and later secret wife of King Louis XIV of France (1635-1719)
- Françoise DorléacFrench actress (1942–1967)
- Françoise GilotFrench painter, art critic, writer and beloved of Pablo Picasso (1921–2023)
- Françoise Mbango EtoneCameroonian and French athletics competitorborn 1976
- Françoise GiroudFrench writer and politician (1916–2003)
- Françoise DoltoFrench pediatrician & psychoanalyst (1908–1988)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Françoise, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.