Contents [hide]

Frances History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Frances History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Scotland
Spain
Ireland

One of the most common classes of Scottish surnames is the patronymic surname, which arose out of the vernacular and religious naming traditions. The vernacular or regional naming tradition is the oldest and most pervasive type of patronymic surname. According to this custom, names were originally composed of vocabulary elements from the local language. Patronymic surnames of this type were usually derived from the personal name of the original bearer's father. The surname Frances is derived from the popular medieval given name Franciscus. Frances 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 Frances family was established in Derbyshire, prior to the Norman invasion of England, in 1066.

Early Origins of the Frances family

The surname Frances 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 Frances family

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

Frances Spelling Variations

Scottish surnames are distinguished by a multitude of spelling variations because, over the centuries, the names were frequently translated into and from Gaelic. 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 Frances has also been spelled Francis, Frances, Franceys, Francies, Fraunces, Francys, Francess and many more.

Early Notables of the Frances family

More information is included under the topic Early Frances Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Frances Ranking

In the United States, the name Frances is the 7,411^st most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Frances is ranked the 1,488^th most popular surname with an estimated 3,922 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Frances family to Ireland

Some of the Frances 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.

Frances migration to the United States +

Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Frances, or a variant listed above:

Frances Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Frances, who landed in Maryland in 1663 3
John Frances, who landed in Maryland in 1676 3

Frances Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Michell Frances, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1727 board the ship "Molley John Hodgeson" 3

Frances Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Robert Frances, aged 30, who landed in New Castle, Del in 1804 3
Robert Frances, aged 30, who arrived in New Castle, Del in 1804 3
Jane Frances, aged 28, who landed in New Castle, Del in 1804 3
Mary Frances, aged 2, who landed in New Castle, Del in 1804 3
William Frances, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Frances migration to Australia +

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

Frances Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

James Frances, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Albion" on September 21, 1826, settling in New South Wales, Australia 4
Mr. William Frances, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Captain Cook" on 2nd May 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
Mr. Nicholas Frances, (b. 1821), aged 19, Cornish shoe maker departing from Plymouth aboard the ship "Orient" arriving in Port Phillip, Victoria, Australia on 13th December 1840 6
William Frances, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "David Malcolm" in 1849 7
James Frances, aged 38, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Prince Regent" in 1849 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Frances 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:

Frances Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Frances, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Pekin" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 29th November 1863 9
Miss Sarah Frances, (b. 1844), aged 22, British dairymaid travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "Bombay" arriving in Lyttelton, South Island, New Zealand on 18th August 1866 10

Contemporary Notables of the name Frances (post 1700) +

Cornelia Frances (1941-2018), stage name of Cornelia Frances Zulver, an English-born, Australian actress
José Francés, Spanish novelist and art critic
Sir Philip Frances (1740-1818), English statesman
Emilio Sala Francés, Spanish painter
Dola Frances Dunsmuir Cavendish (1903-1966), Canadian socialite, the youngest daughter of James Dunsmuir, thought to have been Tallulah Bankhead's long lasting companion
Edith Frances Claflin (1875-1953), American linguist, a noted scholar of Latin and Greek
Lesley Frances Elliott MNZM (1946-2022), New Zealand nurse, founder and chairperson of the Sophie Elliott Foundation, after her daughter who was killed by her former boyfriend in January 2008, awarded the Supreme Award at the New Zealand Women of Influence Awards in 2014
Ethna Frances Rouse QSM (1937-2023), New Zealand cricketer who played as a left-handed batter in one Test match and three One Day Internationals for New Zealand in 1972 and 1973
Helen Frances Barolini (1925-2023), American writer, editor, and translator, best known for Umbertina (1979)
Kay Frances Meredith (1936-2022), née Huggins, an American equestrian and writer, National Grand Prix Champion in 1982, American Horse Show Association Horsewoman of the Year in 1979

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Albion voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1826 with 192 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/albion/1826
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/captain-cook
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retreived 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_victoria.pdf
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) DAVID MALCOLM 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849DavidMalcolm.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) "PRINCE REGENT" 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849PrinceRegent.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html