boys' name ★ peaked 2016

Franco

Gender Boy Rank 2025 #747 Trend ↑ Rising 37%

A male given name from Italian or Spanish, equivalent to English Frank or Francis.

Rank 2025
#747
among boys · ↓2 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
348
named Franco · +1% vs 2024
How common
1 in 4,908
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2016
353 babies
All-time total
9,107
#1,277 all-time among boys
First recorded
1923
in Social Security records

Franco popularity over time

9,107 babies have been named Franco since 1923, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.060.130.190.2518801900192019401960198020002020Peak 2025Boys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Boys Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – –
1890s – – – –
1900s – – – –
1910s – – – –
1920s 14 1 – #3,266
1930s 13 1 -7% #3,283
1940s 7 1 -46% #3,106
1950s 99 10 +1314% #1,531
1960s 357 36 +261% #999
1970s 716 72 +101% #847
1980s 764 76 +7% #863
1990s 845 85 +11% #1,061
2000s 1,833 183 +117% #748
2010s 2,649 265 +45% #702
2020s (to 2025) 1,810 302 +14% #745

Where Franco is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 365 0.21 outside top 500
2027 380 0.22 outside top 500
2028 393 0.23 outside top 500
2029 404 0.24 outside top 500
2030 415 0.24 outside top 500

Where Franco is most popular

Boys named Franco per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.183 per 1,000. Strongest in New Jersey, Florida, and Illinois.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Franco born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
New Jersey 74 0.368 +101%
Florida 164 0.346 +90%
Illinois 82 0.321 +76%
California 290 0.317 +74%
Texas 279 0.317 +73%
Arizona 42 0.257 +41%
Pennsylvania 67 0.252 +38%
New York 94 0.217 +19%
Georgia 53 0.209 +15%
Colorado 22 0.170 -7%
Washington 27 0.165 -10%
North Carolina 41 0.161 -12%
Virginia 20 0.105 -42%
Nevada 6 0.105 -42%
Massachusetts 14 0.102 -44%
Ohio 22 0.083 -55%
Connecticut 5 0.074 -60%
Oregon 5 0.066 -64%
Wisconsin 5 0.042 -77%
Minnesota 5 0.041 -78%
Tennessee 6 0.033 -82%
Indiana 5 0.031 -83%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Franco

Franco is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #747 in 2025 with 348 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1923, 9,107 American babies have been named Franco. Its peak came in 2016, when 353 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Franco stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Franco?

The median living Franco is about 15 years old; half are between 7 and 30. An estimated 8,800 people named Franco are alive in the United States today.

median 15 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Franco year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Boys Boys rank
2025 348 #747
2024 345 #745
2023 325 #780
2022 291 #839
2021 268 #866
2020 233 #945
2019 262 #853
2018 279 #808
2017 328 #727
2016 353 #702
2015 254 #876
2014 275 #825
2013 234 #890
2012 204 #980
2011 206 #961
2010 254 #839
2009 307 #748
2008 264 #830
2007 178 #1,054
2006 203 #930
2005 207 #881
2004 195 #889
2003 131 #1,151
2002 115 #1,206
2001 117 #1,175
2000 116 #1,178
1995 78 #1,330
1990 71 #1,320
1985 60 #1,234
1980 106 #863
1975 89 #880
1970 55 #1,105
1965 33 #1,341
1960 26 #1,598
1955 7 #3,299
1950 9 #2,643
1945 – –
1940 – –
1935 – –
1930 7 #3,401
1925 – –
1920 – –
1915 – –
1910 – –
1905 – –
1900 – –
1895 – –
1890 – –
1885 – –
1880 – –

Famous people named Franco

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Franco Nero Franco Nero Italian actor (born 1941) Contemporary
  2. 2 Franco Columbu Franco Columbu Italian bodybuilder and actor (1941–2019) Contemporary
  3. 3 Franco Zeffirelli Franco Zeffirelli Italian filmmaker (1923–2019) Contemporary
  4. 4 Franco Battiato Franco Battiato Italian musician (1945–2021) Contemporary
  5. 5 Franco Citti Franco Citti Italian actor (1935–2016) Contemporary
  6. 6 Franco Di Santo Franco Di Santo Argentine footballer b. 1989 · Contemporary
  7. 7 Franco Corelli Franco Corelli Italian opera singer (1921–2003) Contemporary
  8. 8 Franco Modigliani Franco Modigliani Italian-American economist and Nobel Laureate (1918–2003) Contemporary
  9. 9 Franco Causio Franco Causio Italian footballer (born 1949) Contemporary
  10. 10 Franco Basaglia Franco Basaglia Italian psychiatrist (1924–1980) Contemporary
  11. 11 Franco Interlenghi Franco Interlenghi Italian actor (1931–2015) Contemporary
  12. 12 Franco Alfano Franco Alfano Italian composer & pianist (1875–1954) 19th century
  13. 13 Franco Frattini Franco Frattini Italian politician (1957–2022) Contemporary
  14. 14 Franco Rossi Italian film screenwriter and director 1919–2000 · Contemporary
  15. 15 Franco Rasetti Franco Rasetti Italian physicist 1901–2001 · Contemporary
  16. 16 Franco Maria Malfatti Franco Maria Malfatti Italian politician (1927–1991) Contemporary
  17. 17 Franco Selvaggi Franco Selvaggi Italian footballer (born 1953) Contemporary
  18. 18 Franco Ballerini Franco Ballerini Italian cyclist (1964–2010) Contemporary
  19. 19 Franco Malerba Franco Malerba Italian astronaut and politician (born 1946) Contemporary
  20. 20 Franco Albini Franco Albini Italian architect and designer (1905–1977) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Franco, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Franco?

The median living Franco is about 15 years old. Half of all living Francos are between 7 and 30 years old.

How many people named Franco are alive today?

An estimated 8,800 people named Franco are alive in the United States, based on 9,107 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Franco mean?

A male given name from Italian or Spanish, equivalent to English Frank or Francis.

How popular is the name Franco in 2025?

Franco ranked #747 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 348 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Franco?

9,107 babies have been named Franco in the United States since 1923, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Franco most popular?

Franco peaked in 2016, when 353 newborns received the name.

Is Franco a boy or girl name?

Franco is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Franco rising or falling?

Franco is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Franco become more popular?

Franco is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 415 boys named Franco in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Franco?

Well-known people named Franco include Franco Nero (actor), Franco Columbu (actor), Franco Zeffirelli (film director).

Names like Franco

Names that sound and feel close to Franco: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Franco with similar names → More names starting with F →