Francis
Francis is a male given name: 91% of people named Francis are men, and it is recorded as male in 9 of the 11 countries covered.
- Verdict
- Male
- Male / female split
- 91% male / 9% female
- Confidence
- High (64 or more weighted country observations)
- Most common in
- United States, Malta, France
- US births since 1880
- 285,183 male / 29,119 female
- Data
- nam_dict (GFDL) + US SSA
- Updated
- 2026-09-11
How to address Francis
When you do not know their gender for certain, the full name with no title is the safe choice: "Dear Francis," in English, "Guten Tag Francis," in German. Francis is a male given name: about 91% of people named Francis are men. A quick look at a profile confirms it for certain.
Ready-made greetings in six languages
English
Dear Francis,
German
Guten Tag Francis,
French
Bonjour Francis,
Spanish
Estimado/a Francis:
Chinese
Francis您好：
Japanese
Francis様
English
Hi Francis,
German
Hi Francis,
French
Salut Francis,
Spanish
Hola Francis,
Chinese
Francis你好：
Japanese
Francisさん
This is a statistical estimate, not a statement about the gender, identity or correct form of address of any particular person.
Country breakdown
| Country | How common | Usually | Male share |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | very common | man's name | 91% |
| Malta | common | man's name | 98% |
| France | common | man's name | 98% |
| Belgium | uncommon | man's name | 75% |
| Great Britain | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Ireland | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Luxembourg | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Switzerland | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Netherlands | uncommon | woman's name | 25% |
| Latvia | rare | man's name | 98% |
| India and Sri Lanka | rare | man's name | 98% |
United States birth data
285,183 male · 29,119 female · 314,302 births recorded
Since 1980: 86% male.
Frequently asked questions
Is Francis a male or female name?
Francis is a male given name: 91% of people named Francis are men, and it is recorded as male in 9 of the 11 countries covered.
How do I address Francis in an email?
When you do not know their gender for certain, the full name with no title is the safe choice: "Dear Francis," in English, "Guten Tag Francis," in German. Francis is a male given name: about 91% of people named Francis are men. A quick look at a profile confirms it for certain.
Is Francis a unisex name?
Francis is not a unisex name: 91% of people named Francis are men. Francis leans strongly male overall.
Related names
Sources
Gender by country: nam_dict, the c't first-names dictionary by Joerg Michael, roughly 44,000 names across 55 countries, licensed GFDL. US frequencies: United States Social Security Administration baby-name data, public domain. Method: how we classify names. Full dataset: data & licences. Data built 2026-09-11.
DearWho, "Is Francis a male or female name?", https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/francis (accessed 2026-09-11). Data: nam_dict (J. Michael, GFDL) and US SSA, built 2026-09-11.
BibTeX
@misc{dearwho_francis,
title = {Is Francis a male or female name?},
author = {{DearWho}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/francis},
note = {Data: nam_dict (GFDL), US SSA public domain}
}