Franch History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany-Alt
Germany
Italy

From the historical and enchanting Italian region of Piedmont emerged a multitude of noble families, including the distinguished Franch family. During the Middle Ages, as populations grew and travel between regions became more frequent, the people of Tuscany found it necessary to adopt a second name to identify themselves and their families. The process of adopting fixed hereditary surnames was not complete until the modern era, but the use of hereditary family names in Italy began in the 10th and 11th centuries. Italian hereditary surnames were developed according to fairly general principles and they were characterized by a profusion of derivatives coined from given names. Although the most common type of family name found in Piedmont is the patronymic surname, which is derived from the father's given name, the nickname type of surname is also frequently found. Nickname surnames were derived from an eke-name, or added name. They usually reflected the physical characteristics or attributes of the first person that used the name. The surname Franch is a name for "Franc." The surname Franchi can be traced to the Norman given name Franc, which was a name for the Germanic peoples, the Franks, who inhabited the lands around the Rhine River in Roman times. In the 6th century, under the leadership of Clovis I, the Frankish tribe established a substantial empire in Europe, which later developed into the Holy Roman Empire. Their most famous Emperor was Charlemagne. The surname Franchi is also a name for a person from Franconia in Gemany.

Early Origins of the Franch family

The surname Franch was first found in with Giacomo Franchi who was a statesman and member of this prominent family near Genoa in 1445.

Early History of the Franch family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Franch research. The years 1450, 1477, 1517, 1546, 1592, 1633, 1638, 1666, 1709 and 1870 are included under the topic Early Franch History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Franch Spelling Variations

Surnames that originated in Italy are characterized by an enormous number of spelling variations. Some of these are derived from regional traditions and dialects. Northern names, for instance, often end in "o", while southern names tend to end in "i". Other variations come from the fact the medieval scribes tended to spell according to the sound of words, rather than any particular set of rules. The recorded variations of Franch include Franco, Franca, Franch, Frank, De Franchi, De Franchis, De Franco, Di Franco, La Franca, Franchèlli, Franchelli, Franchèllo, Franchello, Franchétto, Franchitti, Franina, Francolini, Francucci, Franci, Francesetti, Franciotti, Franconi and many more.

Early Notables of the Franch family

Prominent among members of the family was

Nicol Franchi from Piedmont, a counselor and magistrate for the duke of Torino
Antonio Franchi (1638-1709), an Italian painter, active mainly in Florence and Lucca

Franch migration to the United States +

Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Franch or a variant listed above:

Franch Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mable Franch, who arrived in Maryland in 1659 1

Franch Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Joh Fred Franch, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1802 1
Esteban Franch, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1860 1
M. Franch, aged 17, who landed in America, in 1892
Cristine Franch, aged 25, who settled in America, in 1893
Charles Franch, aged 30, who landed in America, in 1894
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Franch Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Ferdinand Franch, aged 36, who immigrated to the United States, in 1903
Claric Franch, who immigrated to the United States, in 1903
Francesco Franch, aged 14, who landed in America from Cloz, Austria, in 1907
Gisella Franch, aged 17, who landed in America from Popendorf, Hungary, in 1910
Bruno Franch, aged 18, who landed in America from Cloz, Austria, in 1912
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Franch (post 1700) +

Josep Franch Xargay (1943-2021), Spanish professional footballer who played 186 matches as a defender (1965-1975)
Pau Franch Franch (b. 1988), Spanish professional footballer
Pau Franch Franch (b. 1988), Spanish professional footballer

Citations +

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)