Francis History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  England 
  Scotland 
  Ireland 


The earliest forms of hereditary surnames in Scotland were the patronymic surnames, which are derived from the father's given name, and metronymic surnames, which are derived from the mother's given name. Scottish patronymic names emerged as early as the mid-9th century. The patronyms were derived from a variety of given names that were of many different origins. The surname Francis is derived from the popular medieval given name Franciscus. Francis is a patronymic surname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. Many patronyms were formed when a son used his father's personal name as a surname, but in this case, the surname was originally derived from the famous religious figure, St. Francis of Assisi. The Francis family was established in Derbyshire, prior to the Norman invasion of England, in 1066.

Early Origins of the Francis family

The surname Francis was first found in Derbyshire, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Francis family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Francis research. Another 218 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1143, 1189, 1190, 1213, 1249, 1307, 1314, 1400 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Francis History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Francis Spelling Variations

The frequent translations of surnames from and into Gaelic, accounts for the multitude of spelling variations found in Scottish surnames. Furthermore, the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent because medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules. The different versions of a surname, such as the inclusion of the patronymic prefix "Mac", frequently indicated a religious or Clan affiliation, or even a division of the family. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into Scotland, accelerating accentuating the alterations to various surnames. The name Francis has also been spelled Francis, Frances, Franceys, Francies, Fraunces, Francys, Francess and many more.

Early Notables of the Francis family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

Francis World Ranking

In the United States, the name Francis is the 385th most popular surname with an estimated 72,123 people with that name. 1 However, in Canada, the name Francis is ranked the 324th most popular surname with an estimated 13,820 people with that name. 2 And in France, the name Francis is the 4,861st popular surname with an estimated 1,500 - 2,000 people with that name. 3 Australia ranks Francis as 145th with 19,777 people. 4 New Zealand ranks Francis as 220th with 2,582 people. 5 The United Kingdom ranks Francis as 169th with 31,991 people. 6 South Africa ranks Francis as 552nd with 12,589 people. 7

Migration of the Francis family to Ireland

Some of the Francis family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 80 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Francis migration to the United States +

Some of the first North American settlers with Francis name or one of its variants:

Francis Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Francis Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Francis Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Francis migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Francis Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
Francis Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Francis migration to Australia +

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

Francis Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century
Francis Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Francis 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:

Francis Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Francis migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 15
Francis Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Francis (post 1700) +


Suggested Readings for the name Francis +
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