Francesca is a girl name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Francesca means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Francesca across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Francesca has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Francesca is a girl name of Latin origin meaning “Frenchwoman, free one”. The Italian feminine form of Francis.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 35,364 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 18,720 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 940 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 173 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 418 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Francesca per year, England & Wales (1996 to 2025). England & Wales peaked in 1998 (1,052/yr) · United States peaked in 2025 (984/yr) · Scotland peaked in 1990 (33/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2013 (17/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 1998 (12/yr).
Francesca has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 2025, when it ranked #660 nationally (given to 1,447 babies that year).
Francisco · Francisca · Francesco · Fransisco · Fransisca · Francesc · Franciszka · Franceska
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