Given name & surname · also Italian, Germanic
Frank
“a man from France; one who is free”
Frank is a form of Francis. One Latin interpretation is “a man from France; one who is free.”
Original ItalianFranco
Meaning & origin
What it means
In Latin use, Frank carries the interpretation “a man from France; one who is free.” Frank is a form of Francis. One Latin interpretation is “a man from France; one who is free.”
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Where it comes from
This spelling has been associated with Germanic and Italian naming traditions.
How it developed
Frank is used as a form of Francis.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Frank through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 920,589
- 915,978 boys · 4,611 girls
- Most popular year
- 1918
- 17,089 babies
- 2025
- 584
- #514 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −20%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 584 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 514 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 20.1% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 17,018 in 1918. In 2025, California and New York shared the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (58 each). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 407,086 as a first name in 2020; 63,608 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.
Frank’s family of names
In English usage, Frank is a diminutive of Francis. Frank has a surname derivative in FRANKSON. In German usage, Frank has a conventional equivalent in the Portuguese form Francisco.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Frank has relatives in 16 languages. Lines run from its Latin roots to each of them.
37 related names in 16 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 30
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Francisfull form · English
- Frankiediminutive · English
- Francovariant · Italian, Galician
- Frankyvariant
- Frankivariant
- Frankeevariant
- Bakidiminutive · ceb
- Franckvariant · English, German
Show 22 moreShow fewer
- Frankevariant · German
- Frankeyvariant
- Francvariant · French
- 瘦皮猴nickname
- Fentschdiminutive · gmw-ecg
- Fräncklevariant · German
- Frenklevariant · German
- Fraenklevariant · German
- Fränkelvariant · German
- Frangvariant · Albanian
- Franklevariant · German
- Fränklevariant · German
- Frankeavariant
- Franckevariant · German
- Frenkingvariant · German
- Frenkenvariant · German
- Frenkelvariant · German
- Frenkvariant · German
- Fränklvariant · German
- Franklvariant · German
- Frankenvariant · German
- Franckenvariant · German
Spellings & scripts 5
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 27
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- FranciscoPortuguese
- Franklinequivalent
- Franzequivalent
- Frantzequivalent
- Franequivalent
- Franciszekequivalent
- Frankoequivalent
- Ferencequivalent
Show 19 moreShow fewer
- Francescequivalent
- Franciscequivalent
- Franciscusequivalent
- Palaniborrowing · Hawaiian
- Fransequivalent
- ChicoPortuguese
- Frañsezequivalent
- Rankequivalent
- Franziskusequivalent
- Fañchequivalent
- Frankson“son of” surname · English
- ФрансRussian
- FrantišekCzech
- Fragiskosequivalent
- Φραγκίσκοςequivalent
- Françoissee also · French
- フランクJapanese
- ФрэнкRussian
- فرانکPersian
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Frank
- Frank Lloyd WrightAmerican architect (1867-1959)
- Frank SinatraAmerican singer and actor (1915–1998)
- Frank ZappaAmerican musician (1940–1993)
- Frank LampardEnglish association football player and managerborn 1978
- Frank HerbertAmerican writer (1920–1986)
- Frank CapraItalian-born American film director (1897–1991)
- Frank GehryCanadian and American architect (1929–2025)
- Frank WilczekAmerican theoretical physicistborn 1951
- Frank RijkaardDutch association football player and managerborn 1962
Characters named Frank: Frank Underwood (House of Cards), Frank Lapidus (the American mystery fiction television series Lost), Gray Fox (the Metal Gear series), Frank Pentangeli (The Godfather series).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Frank, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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