Francis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Francis is an English Christian name and a surname ultimately descended from the Italian name Francesco, the name Francis of Assisi.
Francis has many derivatives the most common being Frank. The most common female version of Francis in English is usually Frances or Francine for which the diminutive, particularly in the US, is often Fran.
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[edit] Related names in other languages
Related names are common in other Western European languages, in countries that are (or were before the Reformation) Catholic. These names include:
- Italian: Francesco, Franco
- Latin: Franciscus
- Spanish: Francisco, Franco
- French: François, Frank, Franck
- German: Franz
- Hungarian: Ferenc
[edit] Derivation
Francesco was the name given to Saint Francis of Assisi by his father in memory of the boy's mother, a Frenchwoman, who died when the child was still in his early years. It means 'Little Frenchman'. The name of France itself comes from the Germanic people known as the Franks; the origin of their name is unclear but perhaps meaning "free".
[edit] See also
[edit] References
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de:Franz es:Francisco pt:Francisco fr:François hu:Ferenc ja:フランシス pl:Franciszek ru:Франциск sk:František sl:Frančišek sv:Franciscus
