France
France is a unisex given name and an English, French, and Slovene surname. In French-speaking countries, France may be a woman's first name. In France, it may derive from an ethnic name for an inhabitant of the country; a variant is Lafrance. In Slovenia, France may derive from the personal name "France", a vernacular form of "Frančišek", Latin Franciscus ("Francis").
- French
- Slovene
Meaning & Origin of France
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
France is a unisex given name and an English, French, and Slovene surname. In French-speaking countries, France may be a woman's first name. In France, it may derive from an ethnic name for an inhabitant of the country; a variant is Lafrance. In Slovenia, France may derive from the personal name "France", a vernacular form of "Frančišek", Latin Franciscus ("Francis").
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- French
- Slovene
The Story of France
As a girl name
France first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1894, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1918: 35 births, good for #1,277 nationwide. France last appeared in the published SSA data in 2015, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 1K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1890s to the 2020s.
As a boy name
American parents first put France on the record books as a boy name in 1912, with 7 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1918, when 39 Frances were born — ranking #1,094 that year. About 30% of every France on record arrived during the 1910s, its defining decade. France last appeared in the published SSA data in 2021, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 379 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1910s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of France
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with France. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like France
Phonetically similar names — useful when France is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about France
What does the name France mean?
What is the origin of the name France?
How popular is France in 2026?
When was France most popular?
In which U.S. states is France most popular?
Is France a unisex name?
What names go well with France?
What are nicknames or variants of France?
About the name France
France is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1894 and has accumulated 1K births in the dataset. France's peak popularity came in 1918 when it ranked #1,277. Use the chart and map above to compare France's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1918 →
- Names of the 1910s →
- Names starting with "F" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.