Active discussions

Help protect children from gaming harms.

Take our survey

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

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?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
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

Show quote history

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.

Show quote history

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.

Show quote history

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.