Frank (given name)

Frank /fræŋk/ is a masculine given name.

Frank
GenderMale
Origin
Language(s)Old High German
Meaningfrom the name of the Franks
Other names
Related namesFrancis, François, Francisco, Franklin, Franco, Frans, Franz

Ultimately from the Germanic tribal name of the Franks, in the early medieval Frankish Empire, the status of being "a Frank" became synonymous with that of a free man; hence also the English adjective frank (Middle English, from Old French franc, 12th century).

Use as a given name seems to arise already in the Carolingian period; the Old High German form Francho, Franko is on record from the 8th century.[1] While Frank is a given name in its own right, in fact reflecting the Old Frankish form *Frank, the given name in the United States arose again in the 20th century as a short form of Francis (which is itself a shortening of Franciscus, i.e. "the Frenchman", in reference to Saint Francis of Assisi), as popularized by Frank Sinatra (born Francis Albert Sinatra, 19151998).

People with the given name

In arts

Also see Frank in fictional characters

In architecture

In comics

In film and television

In literature

In music

In radio

In sports

Other

See also

References

  1. Ernst Förstemann, Altdeutsches Namenbuch (1856), 413.
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