Head to head · Boys' names
Francis vs Solomon
#420 vs #422 in 2025 · both holding its place on the charts
Francis is a whisker ahead (#420 vs #422 in 2025) and both are holding its place on the charts. The records will not split these two — sound, story and your own last name will.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Francis leads 5 measures of 6; Solomon leads 0.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Francis #56, Solomon #239 — Francis higher
- 1890s: Francis #46, Solomon #274 — Francis higher
- 1900s: Francis #36, Solomon #266 — Francis higher
- 1910s: Francis #32, Solomon #263 — Francis higher
- 1920s: Francis #36, Solomon #359 — Francis higher
- 1930s: Francis #48, Solomon #469 — Francis higher
- 1940s: Francis #71, Solomon #515 — Francis higher
- 1950s: Francis #105, Solomon #585 — Francis higher
- 1960s: Francis #161, Solomon #677 — Francis higher
- 1970s: Francis #223, Solomon #612 — Francis higher
- 1980s: Francis #244, Solomon #572 — Francis higher
- 1990s: Francis #355, Solomon #570 — Francis higher
- 2000s: Francis #545, Solomon #459 — Solomon higher
- 2010s: Francis #525, Solomon #405 — Solomon higher
- 2020s: Francis #456, Solomon #422 — Solomon higher
Francis stood higher in 12 of 15 decades; Solomon has held the lead since the 2000s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Francis | Solomon |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #56 | #239 |
| 1890s | #46 | #274 |
| 1900s | #36 | #266 |
| 1910s | #32 | #263 |
| 1920s | #36 | #359 |
| 1930s | #48 | #469 |
| 1940s | #71 | #515 |
| 1950s | #105 | #585 |
| 1960s | #161 | #677 |
| 1970s | #223 | #612 |
| 1980s | #244 | #572 |
| 1990s | #355 | #570 |
| 2000s | #545 | #459 |
| 2010s | #525 | #405 |
| 2020s | #456 | #422 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Francis
Frenchman; from France
From Latin Franciscus. The Italian form Francesco was a nickname given to the young man of Assisi later canonized as Francis, whose family had strong French trade connections; the name he was born with was Giovanni.
Franciscus → Francesco → Francis → Frances
How it traveled
Latin Franciscus meant simply "a Frank," a Frenchman, and for a long time it was a byname rather than a given name. That changed in the thirteenth century with Francis of Assisi, the merchant's son who founded the Franciscan order; his followers carried the name across Catholic Europe, where it settled into Francesco, Francisco, François and Franz.
Solomon
Peace
From the Hebrew root shalom, 'peace'. The Hebrew form is Shlomo.
Shlomo → Solomōn → Salomon → Solomon
How it traveled
The name belongs first to the Hebrew Bible, where Shlomo — son of David and Bathsheba — reigns over Israel and builds the Temple in Jerusalem. Greek translators of the Hebrew scriptures rendered it Solomōn, Latin made it Salomon, and that is the shape that reached English.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Francis
FRAN-sis
Stress on the first syllable. Identical in sound to the feminine Frances in American English — the difference lives entirely in the spelling.
- Frank — The long-standing short form, and a fully established given name in its own right for generations of American men.
- Frankie — Informal and affectionate; used for both Francis and Frances, and increasingly given on its own to girls and boys alike.
- Fran — Informal and unisex, since it also serves as the short form of Frances and Francesca.
- Franny — Family-level nickname, mostly childhood.
- Also Cisco.
Solomon
SOL-uh-muhn
Stress on the first syllable. The middle vowel is a light, unstressed 'uh' — in quick speech it can nearly vanish.
- Sol — The standard short form in English, and used on its own as a given name too.
- Solly — Informal and affectionate; long established in Jewish families and in British use.
- Sal — Informal; shared with Salvatore and Sally, so it rarely points back to Solomon on its own.
- Mo — Informal, drawn from the last syllable rather than the first; occasional rather than standard.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Francis if you want…
- a name on the way upup 61 places on the charts in five years
- a name with fewer syllablesFrancis is 2 syllables to Solomon's 3
- a name that ages quietlyan estimated 12% chance of feeling dated by 2040, against 40% for Solomon
Choose Solomon if you want…
- a name holding steadySolomon is holding its place on the charts
- a name with more sound in itSolomon runs 3 syllables, Francis 2
- a name that feels very nowSolomon is holding its place on the charts
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Francis
Strengths
- An unbroken written record from the thirteenth century onward, in continuous use in English since the Tudor era.
- Instantly recognizable across Italian, Spanish, French, German and Polish, so it travels without needing translation.
- Comes with ready-made short forms — Frank, Frankie, Fran — each of which stands perfectly well alone.
To consider
- Francis and Frances sound exactly alike in American English, so the spelling will be queried on forms, in emails and by teachers for life. Many people simply assume the -es version.
- It is strongly represented among older generations, so it may read as a grandfather's name to some ears — though that is precisely the pattern that has brought other names back around.
- The link to Francis of Assisi and to a sitting pope is close enough that some will hear the name as an explicitly Catholic choice, whether or not you mean it that way.
Solomon
Strengths
- Spelled the way it sounds, and familiar enough in English that most people write it correctly on the first try.
- Comes with ready-made short forms — Sol, Solly — so it works at both formal and casual length.
- Recognizable across Hebrew, Arabic, Spanish, French and Amharic-speaking communities in closely related forms.
To consider
- The biblical king is the reference almost everyone reaches for, and 'the wisdom of Solomon' is a fixed English phrase. The name arrives with that association attached, which some families want and others would rather not hand over.
- It is an unmistakably Old Testament name, and reads as such regardless of a family's own background.
- Three syllables plus a surname makes a mouthful for daily use, so in practice expect Sol to do a lot of the work.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
How each is likely to age
Francis
12%chance Francis feels dated by 2040
Francis has held the top-100 across 7 different decades — it has never depended on fashion, and names like that read the same at any age.
Solomon
40%chance Solomon feels dated by 2040
Solomon sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A reading of where each name sits on the long naming cycle — computed, not measured, and explained on the data page.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Francis and Solomon in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Francis and Solomon?
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More than two in the running? Settle it with a bracket or run the full comparison with your last name.
More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
- Classics hiding in plain sight
- Greatest Generation names (born 1901–1927)
- Saint names in modern use
- Names that belong entirely to the 1910s
- all guides
Where Francis and Solomon each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Francis or Solomon — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Francis or Solomon?
- Francis, in 2025: Francis ranked #420 with 769 babies; Solomon ranked #422 with 767 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Francis or Solomon?
- Francis. Over the last five years Francis moved up 61 places; Solomon moved down 20 places.
- Which is the older name, Francis or Solomon?
- The US record cannot say: both were already in use when it began in 1880.
- How many people are named Francis and Solomon?
- About 107,000 people named Francis are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 28,000 people named Solomon are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Franciss or Solomons in the classroom?
- Francis will almost certainly be the only one in school. Solomon will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
Sixty more head-to-heads are dealt in the arena every day — or line up Francis, Solomon and the rest of your shortlist with your last name in one printable report.
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