Frances - classic or frumpy?

[TooTryHard]

I was thinking classic and beautiful and now I'm wobbling.

[NadiaWadia]

Sorry I find it dull and a bit unisex - because of the male name Francis which sounds the same. Francesca is lovely though.

[sleepingbeautiful]

I love it and it's DDs middle name. I would totally have used for first name but DH was annoying.

I'm always lol when people prefer Francesca and see that as 'posh' because it's v popular among the chav element where my family live. Once you've heard Francesca ge' 'ere now ya little +@#* yelled across the shop in a thick Scouse accent it will be ruined forever :p

[kiwik]

I love it - and the male version too, as I have a Francis. He sometimes gets called Fran, but never Frank or Frankie.

[CruCru]

I love Frances. Unfortunately it was vetoed by DH.

[CruCru]

However, if you hate Frankie as a nickname, you may wish to pause as she is likely to get that at school.

[TheRealHousewifeOfSomewhere]

beautiful. love it. not frumpy at all.

[magicstars]

Not keen I'm afraid.

[Onesleeptillwembley]

Frumpy, but certainly not awful. There are nicer names to use.

[MaryPoppinsBag]

Lovely name my grandmother was called Frances. And we wanted to use it for a girl, but had two boys.

[squoosh]

I love Frances, feminine and elegant but not twee and girlie. It has an air of 1940s glamour about it.

Love Frankie as a nickname too.

[squoosh]

If you're not keen on Frankie as a nickname just remind yourself that it could be worse...................Fanny is short for Frances too, although thankfully out of vogue!

[MrsBungle]

In my opinion, it is quite a frumpy, middle-aged boring name but it's not terrible.

[SanityClause]

I really like it. It is strong and classic.

I love Fran as a nickname. It makes me think of that episode of Black's Books, where the man with the sexy voice keeps saying "Fran? Fran?" over and over again.

[bebopanddoowop]

It's my middle name. When I was wee I found it a bit confusing because I had a good friend (a boy) called Francis and so often forgot that mine had an E. That might have been partly because I wanted to be a boy though, ha! I wasn't quite sure why my name was a plural to a country either.
But now I am older and less stupid I like it. It is quite old fashioned but I think in a 'classic' way. I am 26 and know a couple of people with it as their middle name and 2 with it as their first - one my age and one in their 80s.

[AvonCallingBarksdale]

I like Frances. I much prefer Francesca, though ( I know that wasn't your question!!)
I know a Francesca, and she's nn Frankie, but I know a Frances, and she is always Fran, which I prefer to Frances.

[TalkativeJim]

Much prefer Francesca too I'm afraid. Yes Frances is a classic, but I find it absolutely colourless.

[lottiegarbanzo]

Classic, un-frilly but lovely. Also very classless, as in could be any, which I like about it.

Personally don't like Frankie but Fran and Franny are nice and it's a name that doesn't really need shortening anyway.

You may get some gender confusion early on and definitely spelling confusion with the boy version but that's a nice name too and some people just can't spell.

Francesca is a lovely name too but a very different name IMO, I see them as belonging to different groups of names, so not interchangeable at all.

[dizzy77]

Frances was on my list for the child who turned out to be DS2. As was Constance. I like that sibilant end and love Fran/Connie as nns. Go for it.

[Papyrus02]

Lovely name. Was on my short list for both DD's - wish I'd used it. Go for it. It's classic - love nn Fran.

[treaclesoda]

Classic, I like it. I don't like Frankie as a nickname though.

[Branleuse]

love it

[ToffeeCaramel]

Love it

[night1971]

Refreshing and different, pretty too.

[GRW]

Love it and think it's much nicer than Francesca.

[Pobblewhohasnotoes]

Frumpy and dull, sorry. It's not in any way pretty.

Francesca is lovely as is Fran but I really don't like Frances. It's just, um...boring.