How to say it
fran · CIS · co
/frænˈsɪs.koʊ/
Masculine
Francisco
Frenchman, free
What it means
The Spanish and Portuguese form of Francis, originally 'Frenchman,' later read as 'free.'
Francisco is the Spanish and Portuguese form of Francis, a name that began as a word for 'Frenchman' and warmed into a sense of 'free.' St. Francis of Assisi made it beloved, San Francisco carries it on the map, and it has been a cornerstone name across Spain and Latin America for centuries. The traditional shorts are wonderfully far from the full name: Paco, Pancho, and Cisco.
Popularity over time
peaked at #114 in 1991, currently #322 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Nickname
Paco, Pancho, and Cisco are the traditional Spanish shorts.
- Worth knowing
A cornerstone name across Spanish-speaking communities.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- St. Francis of Assisi 13th-century friar, patron saint of animals and ecology
- Francisco Goya Spanish Romantic painter and printmaker
Spelling variants
- Francesco
- François
- Francis
Names with the same feeling
See Francisco from another angle
By meaning
By style