Boy nameCurrently #468 in the USFalling
Frank
FRANK//fræŋk//
1 syllablePeak year: 19185 lettersStarts with F
Meaning & origin
Free man (short form of Francis/Franklin)
Frank began as a short form of Francis or Franklin, ultimately from the Germanic tribal name 'Franks', meaning free. Its direct, plainspoken sound has kept it in steady, if less trendy, use for over a century.
Frank's popularity over time
| Year | Births named Frank |
|---|---|
| 1880 | 3,255 |
| 1881 | 2,843 |
| 1882 | 3,187 |
| 1883 | 3,003 |
| 1884 | 3,239 |
| 1885 | 3,085 |
| 1886 | 3,149 |
| 1887 | 2,902 |
| 1888 | 3,480 |
| 1889 | 2,992 |
| 1890 | 3,112 |
| 1891 | 2,674 |
| 1892 | 3,175 |
| 1893 | 2,937 |
| 1894 | 2,882 |
| 1895 | 3,039 |
| 1896 | 2,862 |
| 1897 | 2,743 |
| 1898 | 2,944 |
| 1899 | 2,571 |
| 1900 | 3,496 |
| 1901 | 2,423 |
| 1902 | 2,773 |
| 1903 | 2,662 |
| 1904 | 2,821 |
| 1905 | 2,859 |
| 1906 | 2,813 |
| 1907 | 2,963 |
| 1908 | 3,168 |
| 1909 | 3,262 |
| 1910 | 3,789 |
| 1911 | 4,343 |
| 1912 | 7,941 |
| 1913 | 9,273 |
| 1914 | 12,048 |
| 1915 | 15,068 |
| 1916 | 15,375 |
| 1917 | 15,866 |
| 1918 | 17,089 |
| 1919 | 15,785 |
| 1920 | 16,495 |
| 1921 | 16,794 |
| 1922 | 16,090 |
| 1923 | 15,989 |
| 1924 | 16,138 |
| 1925 | 15,428 |
| 1926 | 14,586 |
| 1927 | 14,485 |
| 1928 | 13,676 |
| 1929 | 13,096 |
| 1930 | 12,623 |
| 1931 | 11,556 |
| 1932 | 11,565 |
| 1933 | 11,037 |
| 1934 | 10,690 |
| 1935 | 10,476 |
| 1936 | 10,237 |
| 1937 | 10,178 |
| 1938 | 10,299 |
| 1939 | 10,044 |
| 1940 | 10,632 |
| 1941 | 10,828 |
| 1942 | 12,291 |
| 1943 | 12,291 |
| 1944 | 11,382 |
| 1945 | 10,904 |
| 1946 | 12,718 |
| 1947 | 14,043 |
| 1948 | 12,729 |
| 1949 | 12,003 |
| 1950 | 11,637 |
| 1951 | 11,520 |
| 1952 | 11,295 |
| 1953 | 11,207 |
| 1954 | 11,033 |
| 1955 | 11,133 |
| 1956 | 11,194 |
| 1957 | 11,309 |
| 1958 | 11,380 |
| 1959 | 10,990 |
| 1960 | 10,788 |
| 1961 | 10,467 |
| 1962 | 9,802 |
| 1963 | 9,569 |
| 1964 | 9,369 |
| 1965 | 8,347 |
| 1966 | 7,816 |
| 1967 | 7,473 |
| 1968 | 6,940 |
| 1969 | 6,963 |
| 1970 | 6,854 |
| 1971 | 6,125 |
| 1972 | 5,210 |
| 1973 | 4,826 |
| 1974 | 4,408 |
| 1975 | 4,247 |
| 1976 | 3,928 |
| 1977 | 3,927 |
| 1978 | 3,806 |
| 1979 | 3,962 |
| 1980 | 3,762 |
| 1981 | 3,669 |
| 1982 | 3,634 |
| 1983 | 3,388 |
| 1984 | 3,359 |
| 1985 | 3,331 |
| 1986 | 3,210 |
| 1987 | 3,152 |
| 1988 | 3,288 |
| 1989 | 3,077 |
| 1990 | 3,200 |
| 1991 | 2,893 |
| 1992 | 2,762 |
| 1993 | 2,522 |
| 1994 | 2,491 |
| 1995 | 2,264 |
| 1996 | 2,158 |
| 1997 | 2,032 |
| 1998 | 1,887 |
| 1999 | 1,855 |
| 2000 | 1,708 |
| 2001 | 1,634 |
| 2002 | 1,587 |
| 2003 | 1,500 |
| 2004 | 1,466 |
| 2005 | 1,480 |
| 2006 | 1,401 |
| 2007 | 1,338 |
| 2008 | 1,228 |
| 2009 | 1,138 |
| 2010 | 1,077 |
| 2011 | 1,048 |
| 2012 | 985 |
| 2013 | 1,007 |
| 2014 | 991 |
| 2015 | 944 |
| 2016 | 957 |
| 2017 | 890 |
| 2018 | 807 |
| 2019 | 773 |
| 2020 | 694 |
| 2021 | 691 |
| 2022 | 708 |
| 2023 | 648 |
| 2024 | 656 |
Frank through the decades
- Frank peaked in 1918, when 17,089 babies were named Frank in the US.
- The 1920s were Frank's strongest decade, averaging 15,278 births a year.
- Over the last 10 years of data (2015–2024), use of Frank has fallen 34% compared to the 10 years before that.
- Frank currently ranks #468 in the US and is cooling off.
Nicknames
Frank
Variants & spellings
FrancisFranklin
Famous people named Frank
- Frank Sinatra — singer