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Original poster

Francis

57 replies

Katherine278 · 25/10/2025 16:15

This is my top contender and has confirmed after recently meeting the loveliest little Francis I am only sceptical of others opinions thinking it is feminine and slightly wet.
Will it be shortened to Fran or Frank?

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Partridgewell · 28/10/2025 13:27

fuzzycreature · 28/10/2025 12:10

It’s just like the difference in pronunciation with bath, grass etc. I guess it’s just a little less common for that to impact someone’s given name. As we have one parent with a southern accent and one with a northern accent we should have thought this through really! Grin

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Exactly - both are correct but it's a bit confusing for a given name, which is why we avoided it. I would have been constantly repeating it in the Southern way in my head 🤣

fuzzycreature · 28/10/2025 12:10

Partridgewell · 28/10/2025 06:57

I mean, ok. I have spent many decades hearing people telling me I pronounce things "wrong". It's the difference between a long and a short "a" sound, rather than "putting an extra r in". I genuinely don't understand why people have a problem with two different pronunciations being equally valid.

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It’s just like the difference in pronunciation with bath, grass etc. I guess it’s just a little less common for that to impact someone’s given name. As we have one parent with a southern accent and one with a northern accent we should have thought this through really! Grin

Partridgewell · 28/10/2025 06:57

CurlyhairedAssassin · 25/10/2025 17:54

Northerners say Francis, like it's spelled. Southerners stick an extra R in there. Frarncis.

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I mean, ok. I have spent many decades hearing people telling me I pronounce things "wrong". It's the difference between a long and a short "a" sound, rather than "putting an extra r in". I genuinely don't understand why people have a problem with two different pronunciations being equally valid.

TappyGilmore · 27/10/2025 09:09

It would be a no from me. I’m not a huge fan, but mostly I can’t imagine that teenage Francis or 25-year-old Francis would actually like their name. I guess Frank is okay.

ItsReallyOnlyMe · 27/10/2025 08:48

My next door neighbour’s child was a Francis - he was known as Frankie as a child but has elected to be a Frank now he’s an adult.

Please bear in mind there are two differing pronunciations depending on which part of the country you’re in. Northerners will pronounce the name without a silent ‘r’ sound whereas other parts of the country will sound it out as ‘Frarncis’. You need to be comfortable with both!

Hiptothisjive · 27/10/2025 08:41

Agreed too wet and a girls name to me.

BeepBoopBop · 27/10/2025 08:40

Love it. A classic name and will not date.

WearyLady · 27/10/2025 08:34

Absolutely love it. Enough to give it to one of my boys.

fairycupcakes · 27/10/2025 08:31

I love it. Frank or Frankie would be great as nicknames!

Iwiicit · 27/10/2025 07:28

I have an Uncle Francis, the loveliest man ever. So refreshing to hear someone asking about a sensible name and not some made up nonsense name!

Onefortheroad25 · 27/10/2025 07:22

No I don’t like it either. I know a little Francis and they call him Francie which is such a weedy name. So unfair on the kid as he grows up.

underthethree · 27/10/2025 06:50

I love it. It’s a front runner for me. Could do Frankie as a nn if you wanted.

fuzzycreature · 27/10/2025 06:43

As well as Fran, Frankie and Frank I also know a Francis who goes by France.

bittertwisted · 26/10/2025 19:41

It’s my DH name
he’s an Irish catholic
ive never ever considered it not manly, he is known as Fran

MaterMoribund · 26/10/2025 12:48

I like it, it was my Dad’s name, shortened to Frank. I also know a couple of younger Francis/Franks (primary age). None of them are wet or wimpy!

LeedsZebra90 · 26/10/2025 12:42

Love Francis and Frankie, not keen on Fran as a nickname though.

thereisajellyfish · 26/10/2025 11:29

I love it!! Such a handsome name

DoAsYouWouldBeMumBy · 26/10/2025 11:25

Gorgeous manly name for me - absolutely go for it.

RuthW · 26/10/2025 07:47

Lovely name but the two ways to pronounce it just annoy me

fuzzycreature · 26/10/2025 07:10

OSTMusTisNT · 26/10/2025 01:00

Love it and you have a cute kid nickname in Frankie, then teenager Frank and finally Consultant Surgeon Francis 👌

i have a Francis and this was exactly my reasoning - he is universally known as Frankie at the moment but I like the fact he has a choice of going by names that conjure up quite different impressions. Frankie is cheeky/fun/familiar, Frank sounds solid/dependable/robust, Francis sounds arty/soft/proper.

I do have mild regret though at choosing a name where the vowel sound differs depending on your accent (as someone else mentioned) - I’ve got northern roots but live in the south and I constantly feel like I don’t pronounce it correctly!

ButtonMushrooms · 26/10/2025 07:09

I like Francis. The one I know (boy age 15) is called Frankie for short.

Edinburghdaze · 26/10/2025 06:59

It is a classic name and it’s also not that common. Frankie is nice, Frank ok but I’m not keen on the name Francis itself and think it doesn’t conjure up a good image.

But I think a name becomes you and you don’t become the name.

RosesAndHellebores · 26/10/2025 06:53

It's a classic name and far better than many others.

ChocolateCinderToffee · 26/10/2025 06:45

I really like it. Classy and underused.