The name this time around in our series First Names First will be Francis! There is a separate article here for people mainly known as Frank, the short form of Francis. This name has always been a very popular name, but do you know which Francis we have in the picture?
Pick one of the names below, then follow the Wikipedia link to read about that person, and to see what if anything he could contribute your life with. Inspiration, passion, enlightenment, encouragement, empathy, etc. Give a couple of minutes to this for lives lived have all something worthwhile to tell us.
Francis of Fabriano* (b Francesco Venimbeni) theologian/writer – Fabriano, Papal States (1251)
Francis of Denmark* prince of Denmark, Norway and Sweden/son of King John of Denmark – (1497)
Francis Xavier* Spanish missionary/saint – Javier, Kingdom of Navarre (1506)
Francis Drake* sea captain/slave trader/explorer – Tavistock, Devon, England (1540)
Francis II of France* first husband of Mary, Queen of Scots – Château de Fontainebleau Kingdom of France (1544)
Francis Anthony* physician/ chemist – England (1550)
Francis Cherry* diplomat /ambassador to the Court of Russia – North Kilworth, Leicestershire, England (1552)
Francis Bacon* philosopher/ statesman/scientist – The Strand, London, England (1561)
Francis van Aarssens* diplomat/ statesman of the United Provinces – Brussels (1572)
Francis Mansell* Welsh academic – Muddlescombe, Carmarthenshire, Wales, Kingdom of England (1579)
Francis West* Deputy Governor of the Colony and Dominion of Virginia – Salisbury, Wiltshire, England (1586)
Francis Eaton* carpenter/ Mayflower passenger/to America at age 24 – Bristol, England (1596)
Francis Godolphin* nobleman/politician/MP – Godolphin, Cornwall, England (1605)
Francis Anderson* landowner/ politician/MP – Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland, England (1614)
Francis Rombouts* the 12th Mayor of New York City (New Amsterdam) – Hasselt, Prince-Bishopric of Liège (1631)
Francis Willughby* ornithologist/ichtythyologist – Middleton Hall, Warwickshire, England (1635)
Francis Hutcheson* philosopher – Saintfield, County Down, Ireland (1694)
Francis Blomefield* antiquary – Fersfield, Norfolk, England (1705)
Francis I* Holy Roman Emperor – Ducal Palace of Nancy, Lorraine, Holy Roman Empire (1708)
Francis Marion* military officer/”the Swamp Fox“ – Berkeley County, South Carolina, British America (1732)
Francis Bourgeois* landscape & history painter – London, England (1753)
Francis II* the last Holy Roman Emperor/the first Emperor of Austria – Florence, Tuscany (1768)
Francis Austen* Royal Navy officer/elder brother of Jane Austen – Steventon, Hampshire, England (1774)
Francis Beaufort* hydrographer/ rear admiral/creator of the Beaufort cipher and scale – Navan, Ireland (1774)
Francis Scott Key* lawyer/writer of the lyrics for The Star-Spangled Banner – Frederick County, Maryland (1779)
Francis Leggatt Chantrey* sculptor – Jordanthorpe, Derbyshire, England (1781)
Francis Abbott* British-Australian watchmaker/astronomer – Derby, England (1799)
Francis Hincks* Irish-Canadian businessman/colonial administrator/governor – Cork, Ireland (1807)
Francis Walker* entomologist – Southgate, London, England (1809)
Francis Lubbock* Governor of Texas – Beaufort, SC USA (1815)
Francis Dutton* British-Australian politician/Premier of South Australia – Cuxhaven, Lower Saxony (1818)
Francis James Child* scholar/ educator/folklorist – Boston, MA USA (1825)
Francis Lyman Worden* businessman/a founder of Missoula, Montana – Marlboro, VT USA (1830)
Francis Blackwell Forbes* botanist/China merchant/ opium trader – New York USA (1839)
Francis P. Fleming* politician/ Governor of Florida – Panama Park, FL USA (1841)
Francis Fisher* tennis player/politician/MP – Wellington, New Zealand (1877)
Francis Peyton Rous* virologist/N – Baltimore, MD USA (1879)
Francis Bacon* artist/ figurative painter – Dublin, Ireland (1909)
Francis Douglas* Catholic priest/heroic during war – Johnsonville, Wellington, New Zealand (1910)
Francis Henry Sullivan* one of the Sullivan quintet whose deaths led way to the Sole Survivor Policy – Waterloo, IA USA (1916)
Francis Noel-Baker* politician/MP – London, England (1920)
Francis Rosa* sports journalist – Boston, MA USA (1920)
Francis Rapp* mediavalist historian – Strasbourg, France (1926)
Francis “Grandma Lee” Strong* (b Myers) stand-up comedian – Oklaholma City, OK USA (1934)
Francis Ford Coppola* film director – Detroit, MI USA (1939) pic
Francis Lawrence* American film director – Vienna, Austria (1971)
Francis Uzoho* football goalie – Nwangele, Imo State, Nigeria (1998)
Updated 12.4.2023