Contents [hide]

Franks History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Citations

Franks History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany-Alt
Germany
Israel
Scotland
Ireland

The ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of England produced the name of Franks. It was given to a person who was referred to as being free or generous. The surname was originally derived from the Old French franc, which meant "liberal, generous." In this case, the name would have been initially bestowed as a nickname either on someone who was generous or in an ironic way on someone who was stingy. The surname also has origins from the Norman official title, the frank which also means free. To confuse matters more, the surname could have been derived from the Norman personal name "Franc," which was originally an ethnic name for one of Frankish race.

Early Origins of the Franks family

The surname Franks was first found in the Domesday Book where bearers of the name Franks were granted lands in Shropshire, Yorkshire, Norfolk, and Surrey. The name appears with some frequency in various counties between the 11th and 14th centuries; early bearers of the name include Ricardus filius Franke, who was living in London in 1188, and Ricardus Franc, who was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls of Essex in 1201. 1

Early History of the Franks family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Franks research. Another 86 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1613, 1624, 1640, 1664, 1708 and 1775 are included under the topic Early Franks History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Franks Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Franks has appeared include Frank, Franks, Franke, Frankes, Frenk, Frink and many more.

Early Notables of the Franks family

Notables of the family at this time include Mark Frank (1613-1664), a British theologian, Master of Pembroke College, Cambridge; John Frank (c.1640), a British bookseller; Calvin Frink (c.1775), a British army surgeon; and Richard Franck (1624?-1708), an English captain in the Parliamentary Army and author from Nottingham. He was born and educated at Cambridge, but probably was not a...
Another 58 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Franks Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Franks Ranking

In the United States, the name Franks is the 967^th most popular surname with an estimated 29,844 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Franks family to Ireland

Some of the Franks family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Franks migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Franks arrived in North America very early:

Franks Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Pr, Franks Sr., who landed in Maryland in 1658 3
Ann Franks, who arrived in Virginia in 1662 3
Pr Franks Sr., who arrived in Maryland in 1668 3

Franks Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Jacob Franks, who settled in Georgia in 1735
Moses Benjamin Franks, who arrived in New York in 1748 3
Moses Benjamin Franks, who arrived in New York, NY in 1748 3
H B Franks, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1755 3
David Franks, who arrived in New York in 1798 3

Franks Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Thomas Franks, who arrived in New York in 1838 3
Hamer Franks, aged 30, who landed in Missouri in 1848 3
W H Hackman Franks, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 3
Samuel Franks, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1850 3
Henry Franks, aged 19, who arrived in New York, NY in 1852 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Franks migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Franks Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

John Franks, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1749
Betty Franks, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
Catha Franks, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
Charles Franks, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
Eliz Franks, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Franks migration to Australia +

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

Franks Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Richard Franks, (b. 1799), aged 20, English labourer who was convicted in Bedford, Bedfordshire, England for 14 years for burglary, transported aboard the "Asiatic" on 5th June 1819, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4
Mr. John Franks, English convict who was convicted in London, England for life, transported aboard the "Chapman" on 6th April 1824, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
Mr. Joseph Franks, British Convict who was convicted in Stafford, England for life, transported aboard the "Asia" on 5th November 1835, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land)1836 6
Mr. William Franks, (b. 1823), aged 15, English convict who was convicted in Bath, Somerset, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Augusta Jessie" on 10th August 1838, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
Miss Sarah Franks, English convict who was convicted in Clerkenwell, London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Emma Eugenia" on 22nd January 1846, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Franks 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:

Franks Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. John Franks, (b. 1838), aged 25, British farm labourer travelling from London aboard the ship "David G. Fleming" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 9th December 1863 9
Mrs. Mary A. Franks, (b. 1841), aged 22, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "David G. Fleming" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 9th December 1863 9
Miss Franks, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "May Queen" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 15th November 1871 9
Miss Mary Franks, (b. 1852), aged 20, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Jessie Readman" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 14th December 1872 9
Mary Franks, aged 20, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Jessie Readman" in 1872 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Franks (post 1700) +

Lucinda Laura Franks (1946-2021), American Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, novelist, and memoirist, the first woman to win a Pulitzer for National Reporting
Dennis John Franks (1953-2021), American professional football player in the National Football League (NFL)
Brigadier-General John Brandon Franks (1890-1946), American Acting Director of International Division, Army Service Forces (1942-1943) 10
General Tommy Ray Franks (b. 1945), Retired United States General and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Tillman B. Franks (1920-2006), American bassist, and songwriter
Frederick Melvin Franks Jr., retired General of the United States Army
Daniel Lamont "Bubba" Franks (b. 1978), American NFL football tight end
Robert Douglas Franks (b. 1951), former U.S. Representative from New Jersey
William Joseph Franks (b. 1830), United States Navy sailor, recipient of the Medal of Honor, eponym of the USS Franks (DD-554)
Albert John Franks (1936-2017), English footballer
... (Another 5 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Franks Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Non nobis nati
Motto Translation: Born not for ourselves

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
Convict Records of Australia. Retreived 26th January 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/chapman
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1835
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 23rd August 2020 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/augusta-jessie
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 4th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emma-eugenia
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, February 29) John Franks. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Franks/John_Brandon/USA.html