Frances

"Free woman" — a name of deep literary and artistic heritage, carrying quiet confidence across the centuries

Frances is the feminine form of Francis, from the Late Latin Franciscus meaning Frank (a member of the Germanic Frankish tribe) or free. Saint Francis of Assisi gave the name religious prominence. Frances was common in England from the Tudor period and was used widely in the United States through the 1920s and 30s. It is now rising again as parents seek substantial vintage names. It is the feminine spelling; Francis is conventionally the masculine form.