Show ContentsFrancys History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The surname Francys 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 Francys family

The surname Francys 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 Francys family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Francys 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 Francys History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Francys Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Francis, Frances, Franceys, Francies, Fraunces, Francys, Francess and many more.

Early Notables of the Francys 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 Francys Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Francys family to Ireland

Some of the Francys 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.

Migration of the Francys family

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Francys name or one of its variants: Daniel Francis, who came to Virginia in 1624; John Francis, who settled in Virginia in 1635; James Francis, who came to Virginia in 1639; Alexander Francis, who came to Maryland in 1658.



  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


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