Total births
595,697
Girls' name · since 1880
Frances
595,697 babies named Frances in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1918. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #375
- among girls today
- 595,697
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Frances is the #375 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 595,697 recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Frances recorded 595,697 times among girls since 1880, holding rank #375 nationally today, ahead of 98% of girls, peaking in the 1920s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #375 among girls today
- 595,697 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 98% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Frances is currently the #375 girls' name in America, more common than 98% of girls - 595,697 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #375
- among girls today
- 595,697
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other girls
Frances vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#375
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 98% of names given to girls today.
1920s
Peak decade
24% of everyone ever named Frances was born in this single decade.
1918
Single peak year
16,132 babies were named Frances in 1918 - its busiest year on record.
How Frances compares
595,697 Top 0% higher than 100% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Frances's all-time total is 1,559x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Frances | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 595,697 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 16,132 | 48 | 19,840 |
Frances's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Frances splits its recorded history at 1953: 16% of all births land in the more recent half, 84% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 2007 (347 births) -- compare that against the 1918 peak of 16,132 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Frances at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
1918
Current rank
#375
Active since
1880
Frances popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1918)
- 16,132
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Frances popularity over time - boys
5,024 total births recorded since 1880 (Frances as boys' name)
Frances by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Frances's strongest decade.
140,391 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 24% of all-time use.
Frances births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 9,182
1880s
9,182 births
- 1890s 18,090
1890s
18,090 births
- 1900s 28,499
1900s
28,499 births
- 1910s
1910s
105,599 births
- 1920s
1920s
140,391 births
- 1930s
1930s
92,117 births
- 1940s
1940s
85,448 births
- 1950s 51,200
1950s
51,200 births
- 1960s 25,001
1960s
25,001 births
- 1970s 11,337
1970s
11,337 births
- 1980s 8,490
1980s
8,490 births
- 1990s 6,068
1990s
6,068 births
- 2000s 3,959
2000s
3,959 births
- 2010s 5,467
2010s
5,467 births
- 2020s 4,849
2020s
4,849 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 140,391 births (24% of all-time use).
How Frances compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Frances's total volume
Frances vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Frances by state
Where Frances concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 59,967 | 10.1% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 38,531 | 6.5% |
| #3 | Texas | | 32,700 | 5.5% |
| #4 | California | | 26,386 | 4.4% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 25,487 | 4.3% |
| #6 | North Carolina | | 22,105 | 3.7% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 20,152 | 3.4% |
| #8 | Georgia | | 19,734 | 3.3% |
New York share of Frances's total US births 10.1%
Even split
59,967 of 595,697 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Frances appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Frances? ▼
595,697 babies have been named Frances since 1880. It currently ranks #375 among girls. The peak year was 1918 with 16,132 births.
When was Frances most popular? ▼
Frances was most popular in the 1920s decade with 140,391 total births. The single peak year was 1918.
Where is Frances most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Frances are New York (59,967 births), Pennsylvania (38,531 births), Texas (32,700 births).
How long has the name Frances been used? ▼
Records for Frances go back to 1880, giving 146 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Frances? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Frankie, Francine, Francesca, Francis, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Frances's data
- Frances's decade-level peak was the 1920s (140,391 total births); usage has since declined to 4,849 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Francess (59,967 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Frances
Nearby Names Like Frances
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Frances
Frankie Girl
#590 37,162 births
Francine Girl
#2055 36,470 births
Francesca Girl
#315 35,331 births
Francis Girl
#2081 29,832 births
Francisca Girl
#2724 12,582 births
Compare Frances side by side: Frances vs Frankie Frances vs Francine Frances vs Francesca
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Frances
Lana #374
57,434 births · Peak 1948
Mckenna #376
44,308 births · Peak 2002
Briella #373
15,051 births · Peak 2018
Itzel #377
21,316 births · Peak 2005
Elodie #372
6,558 births · Peak 2025
Paige #378
146,734 births · Peak 2003
Laila #371
43,484 births · Peak 2008
Melissa #379
760,128 births · Peak 1979
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Frances: #375 Girls' Name - 595,697 Births, Peak 1918." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/frances. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Frances draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.