Francesca
Origin of the name Francesca:
Feminine form of Francesco, the Italian cognage of Francis, which is from the Middle Latin Franciscus, a derivative of Francus (a Frank, a freeman). The name was borne by the 13th-century Francesca da Rimini, the beautiful daughter of the county of Ravenna, Giovanni da Polenta. In return for military support, Francesca's father betrothed her to the ugly and malformed lord of Rimini, Giovanni Malatesta. Paolo, Malatesta's handsome younger brother, acted as proxy in the marriage and he and Francesca soon fell in love. They were discovered and put to death in 1289 by Malatesta. Dante recorded the tragedy of Francesca da Rimini in his work Inferno.
From A World of Baby Names by Teresa Norman. Buy the bookDoes Francesca sound...
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Reader Contributions
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- Personal experiences with the name Francesca: | Edit
When I was eight years old there was a girl in my dance class named Francesca. For the longest time I thought her name was Fran Jessica.
- Nicknames for Francesca: | Edit
Fran, Frannie,Franny, Frankie, Francie, Cesca, Cecca, Cicca, Chessie, Chessy, Franchu
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- Famous real-life people named Francesca: | Edit
Francesca Annis, actress
- Francesca in song, story & screen: | Edit
"Francesca Vecchio" is Ray Vecchio's sister in the tv series "Due South."
Francesca Fiore - B Movie star played by Scott Thompson on Kids in the Hall
NameVoyager US Popularity of Francesca Over Time
NameMapper Current Popularity of Francesca by State
Global Popularity of the Name Francesca
- #6 in Italy
- #88 in England
- #208 in Scotland
- #491 in United States
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