Frank
Masculine · “a Frank”
Frank is overwhelmingly a boys’ name — 915,978 boys against 4,611 girls since 1880. See Frank as a girl name
The English word frank means free because the Franks were. When the Frankish tribes ruled Gaul, only they had full liberty under the law, so the tribal name became an adjective — and it is why a frank remark is an unguarded one, and why a franchise is a freedom and postage can be franked. Very few names have done that much work.
How old is the name Frank?
Frank was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Frank alive today was born around 1939, making them about 86 years old. About 357,000 people named Frank are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Frank most popular?
Frank peaked in 1880, reaching #6 nationally. Today it ranks #513, 507 places below that high. See the whole 1880 chart.
Where it comes from
From Franci to Frank
The story of Frank
Francis was a nickname before it was a name — a cloth merchant's son in Assisi called Francesco for his father's trade with France — and it became one of the great European names through him. Frank shortened it and then outgrew it: in America, Frank has been given far more often than Francis for well over a century, and a great many Franks were never christened anything longer. That is unusual. Most short forms stay attached to their long ones; this one detached completely.
Meaning
a Frank; free
The Franks were the Germanic people who took over Gaul and gave France its name; their own tribal name may come from a word for a javelin, though that is argued. Under Frankish rule only Franks held full legal freedom, which is how francus in medieval Latin came to mean free, and English frank, franchise and enfranchise all descend from that. Frank as a personal name is a short form of Francis, which means the Frenchman.
How the name formed
- Franci
- Franciscus
- Francis
- Frank
Related forms: Franz · Franco · Paco · François · Franek
Pronouncing Frank
FRANK
FRANK, one syllable, rhyming with bank. German says Franz with a ts at the end; Italian Franco has two syllables. The English name is as plain as a syllable gets and has never been ambiguous.
Nicknames for Frank
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most boys named
- 191817,018 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #6reached in 1880
- Change vs 2022
- −17.5%584 in 2025, from 708
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Frank in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Franz in German — same name
- Franco in Italian — same name
- Paco in Spanish — related form
- François in French — related form
- Franek in Polish — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, New York, Texas.
Franks among us
people named Frank are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 2,925 born in 2025 was named Frank
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Frank has held the top-100 across 11 different decades — it has never depended on fashion, and names like that read the same at any age.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Frank is headed
Frank should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
High confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Frank beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Frank in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- One syllable, five letters, understood instantly everywhere English is spoken.
- The etymology is genuinely remarkable and connects the name to a whole family of English words.
- Frankie is available and works for either child.
- It has been in continuous heavy use for the entire length of the American record.
- It is very strongly represented among older generations and reads that way to many people.
- The word frank is also an adjective meaning blunt, which gets played on regularly.
- It reads as a short form to some people even though it has been independent for a century.
- This spelling is recorded for girls too, though so rarely that a girl named Frank will be read as a boy on every form; Frances carries the same root without that.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Frank to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Frank? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Frank
Masculine · #513 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Franks are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 357,000 people named Frank are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Frank in 2025?
- Frank ranks #513 among US boy names in 2025, with 584 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Frank?
- About 1 in every 2,925 US boys born in 2025 was named Frank — 584 in all.
- Will my child share the name Frank with classmates?
- Frank will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Frank
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Alexis#513 · Corbin#512 · Moses#515 · Alonzo#511 · Callen#516 · Leonidas#510 · Marcos#516 · Kobe#518
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Frank? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Frank and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Or jump into a head-to-head
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle