Franc History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France
Germany

The surname Franc derived from the given name Francis. Although it began as a name indicating that the bearer was French in nationality, the popularity of the name Francis was greatly encouraged by the fame of St. Francis of Assisi in during the Middle Ages, and the meaning of the name was subsequently altered. This is also a name for a person from Franconia, which is a region of Southwestern Germany that was named after the Franks, who settled in this region after the fall of the Roman Empire.

Early Origins of the Franc family

The surname Franc was first found in Bohemia, where the name Frank became noted for its many branches within the region, each house acquiring a status and influence which was envied by the princes of the region. In their later history the name became a power unto themselves and were elevated to the ranks of nobility as they grew into this most influential family.

Early History of the Franc family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Franc research. Another 179 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1499, 1543, 1616, 1618, 1643, 1644, 1663, 1677, 1679, 1700, 1704 and 1727 are included under the topic Early Franc History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Franc Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Frank, Franke, Frankk, Frankke, Franck, Francke, Franckk, Franckke, Franken, Frankhen, Franckhen and many more.

Early Notables of the Franc family

During this early period, notable bearers of the name Franc included

Sebastian Franck (1499-1543), a freethinker and one of the first German historians
Johann Franck (Frank) (1618-1677), a German lyric poet and hymnist
August Hermann Francke (1663-1727), a Protestant theologian, professor of Greek, and founder of charity schools

Franc Ranking

In France, the name Franc is the 2,037^th most popular surname with an estimated 3,075 people with that name. 1

Franc migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Franc Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Florentino Franc, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1888 2

Franc 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:

Franc Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

William Franc, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Anazi" in 1879

Contemporary Notables of the name Franc (post 1700) +

Jean-Louis de Franc d'Anglure, French Divisional General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 3
Franc Sadleir (1774-1851), Irish Provost of Trinity College, Dublin, youngest son of Thomas Sadleir, barrister, of Clough Prior, co. Tipperary
Franc D'Ambrosio (b. 1962), American singer and actor
Franc Rozman Stane (1911-1944), legendary Slovene partisan commandant of World War II
Franc Zabel (b. 1968), German composer and pianist

Citations +

http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, March 5) Jean-Louis Franc. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html