US rank #379 Girls' name Peak 1918 594,729 births

Frances — #379 US girls' name

594,729 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.

1880s91821890s180901900s284991910s1055991920s1403911930s921181940s854471950s512001960s250001970s113401980s84891990s60682000s39592010s54662020s3881
#379
of 17,661 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

16,131 babies were named Frances in 1918 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Frances

The Social Security Administration has registered 594,729 babies named Frances between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a girl's name, Frances currently holds the #379 rank among girls for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1918, when 16,131 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Frances performed strongest in the 1920s, accumulating 140,391 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Frances shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in New York, which accounts for 59,912 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Pennsylvania and Texas. In total, SSA state-level files list Frances in 51 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Frances in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 594,729 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Frances at a glance

Top 1,000 girls' name

Total births

594,729

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1918

16,131 births that year

Strongest decade: 1920s

Current rank

#379

Among girls

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Frances popularity over time — girls

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Top 1,000 girls' name
Peak year (1918)
16,131
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-5,00005,00010,00015,00020,000 202420051986196719481929191018911880 605

Frances popularity over time — boys

5,017 total births recorded since 1880 (Frances as boys' name)

Unisex variant — 5,017 births
-50050100150 202419991981196319451927190918911880 16

Frances by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1920s
Peak decade
1920s
140,391 births that decade — 24% of Frances's all-time total
1880s91821890s180901900s284991910s1055991920s1403911930s921181940s854471950s512001960s250001970s113401980s84891990s60682000s39592010s54662020s3881

Frances by state

Where Frances concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Frances
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 New York
59,912 10.1%
#2 Pennsylvania
38,503 6.5%
#3 Texas
32,628 5.5%
#4 California
26,311 4.4%
#5 Illinois
25,449 4.3%
#6 North Carolina
22,071 3.7%
#7 Ohio
20,117 3.4%
#8 Georgia
19,682 3.3%
New York share of Frances's total US births 10.1%
Even split

59,912 of 594,729 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?
594,729 babies have been named Frances since 1880. It currently ranks #379 among girls. The peak year was 1918 with 16,131 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 (59,912 births), Pennsylvania (38,503 births), Texas (32,628 births).
How long has the name Frances been used?
Frances has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
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.

Keep exploring Frances

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.