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Show ContentsFrances History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
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Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

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The surname Frances is derived from the popular medieval given name Franciscus. Much of the popularity of this personal name was due to the famous religious figure, St. Francis of Assisi.

Early Origins of the Frances family

The surname Frances was first found in Oxfordshire, where the earliest record is Hugo Francus, or Franceis in 1135, at Oseney. Other early records of the name include Robert le Franceis in 1169 in the Pipe Rolls of Devon; Roger Franceis in 1177 in the Pipe Rolls of Hampshire; Adam le Francess in 1201 in the Assize Rolls of Somerset; and Robertus filius Franceis, in 1207 in the Curia Regis Rolls of Sussex. 1

Early History of the Frances family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Frances research. Another 142 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1143, 1189, 1190, 1213, 1296, 1400, 1519, 1574, 1587, 1604, 1633, 1658, 1670, 1688, 1707, 1715, 1740 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Frances History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Frances Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Francis, Frances, Franceys, Francies, Fraunces, Francys, Francess and many more.

Early Notables of the Frances family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was John Fraunceys, Lord Mayor of London in 1400; Thomas Francis (c.1519-1574), English medical physician in London, born in Chester. He was President of the College of Physicians. 2 Francis Henry of Saxe-Lauenburg (1604-1658), was a Prince of Saxe-Lauenburg; and Alban Francis (died 1715), an English Benedictine monk. He was a native of Middlesex who became a professed...
Another 64 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Frances Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Frances Ranking

In the United States, the name Frances is the 7,411st most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 3 However, in France, the name Frances is ranked the 1,488th most popular surname with an estimated 3,922 people with that name. 4

Ireland Migration of the Frances family to Ireland

Some of the Frances family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

United States Frances migration to the United States +

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Frances or a variant listed above:

Frances Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Thomas Frances, who landed in Maryland in 1663 5
  • John Frances, who landed in Maryland in 1676 5
Frances Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Michell Frances, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1727 board the ship "Molley John Hodgeson" 5
Frances Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Robert Frances, aged 30, who landed in New Castle, Del in 1804 5
  • Robert Frances, aged 30, who arrived in New Castle, Del in 1804 5
  • Jane Frances, aged 28, who landed in New Castle, Del in 1804 5
  • Mary Frances, aged 2, who landed in New Castle, Del in 1804 5
  • William Frances, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 5
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia Frances migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Frances Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • James Frances, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Albion" on September 21, 1826, settling in New South Wales, Australia 6
  • Mr. William Frances, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Captain Cook" on 2nd May 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
  • Mr. Nicholas Frances, (b. 1821), aged 19, Cornish shoe maker departing from Plymouth aboard the ship "Orient" arriving in Port Phillip, Victoria, Australia on 13th December 1840 8
  • William Frances, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "David Malcolm" in 1849 9
  • James Frances, aged 38, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Prince Regent" in 1849 10
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Frances migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Frances Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Frances, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Pekin" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 29th November 1863 11
  • Miss Sarah Frances, (b. 1844), aged 22, British dairymaid travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "Bombay" arriving in Lyttelton, South Island, New Zealand on 18th August 1866 12

Contemporary Notables of the name Frances (post 1700) +

  • Cornelia Frances (1941-2018), stage name of Cornelia Frances Zulver, an English-born, Australian actress
  • Sir Philip Frances (1740-1818), English statesman
  • José Francés, Spanish novelist and art critic
  • Emilio Sala Francés, Spanish painter
  • Dola Frances Dunsmuir Cavendish (1903-1966), Canadian socialite, the youngest daughter of James Dunsmuir, thought to have been Tallulah Bankhead's long lasting companion
  • Edith Frances Claflin (1875-1953), American linguist, a noted scholar of Latin and Greek
  • Lesley Frances Elliott MNZM (1946-2022), New Zealand nurse, founder and chairperson of the Sophie Elliott Foundation, after her daughter who was killed by her former boyfriend in January 2008, awarded the Supreme Award at the New Zealand Women of Influence Awards in 2014
  • Ethna Frances Rouse QSM (1937-2023), New Zealand cricketer who played as a left-handed batter in one Test match and three One Day Internationals for New Zealand in 1972 and 1973
  • Helen Frances Barolini (1925-2023), American writer, editor, and translator, best known for Umbertina (1979)
  • Kay Frances Meredith (1936-2022), née Huggins, an American equestrian and writer, National Grand Prix Champion in 1982, American Horse Show Association Horsewoman of the Year in 1979
  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  4. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  5. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  6. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Albion voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1826 with 192 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/albion/1826
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/captain-cook
  8. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retreived 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_victoria.pdf
  9. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) DAVID MALCOLM 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849DavidMalcolm.htm
  10. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) "PRINCE REGENT" 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849PrinceRegent.htm
  11. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  12. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
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