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France History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

France History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France

Etymology of France

What does the name France mean?

The first people to use the distinguished France family name were found throughout England. The France family were French immigrants, and their name was an indication of their former heritage by which they were distinguished in England. Many French families came to England in order to escape the rampant persecution of the Huguenots. They felt that England was more tolerant of religious differences.

Early Origins of the France family

The surname France was first found in Lancashire where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the early census rolls taken by the early Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Early History of the France family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our France research. Another 64 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early France History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

France Spelling Variations

Huguenot surnames were only slightly Anglicized, and they remain to this day a distinct group of surnames in England. Nevertheless, Huguenot surnames have been subject to numerous spelling alterations since the names emerged in France. French surnames have a variety of spelling variations because the French language has changed drastically over the centuries. French was developed from the vernacular Latin of the Roman Empire. It is divided into three historic and linguistic periods: Old French, which developed before the 14th century; Middle French, which was used between the 14th and 16th centuries; and Modern French, which was used after the 16th century and continues to be in use today. In all of these periods, the French language was heavily influenced by other languages. For example, Old French was infused with Germanic words and sounds when the barbarian tribes invaded and settled in France after the fall of the Roman Empire. Middle French also borrowed heaviliy from the Italian language during the Renaissance. Huguenot names have numerous variations. The name may be spelled France, Francey and others.

Early Notables of the France family

Notable in the family at this time was

Sir James France of Bostock Hall

France Ranking

In the United States, the name France is the 2,209^th most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name France is ranked the 2,810^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,000 - 2,500 people with that name. 2

France migration to the United States +

Discovered in the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name France:

France Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Jon France, who landed in Virginia in 1637 3
John France, who settled in Virginia in 1651
William France, who arrived in Virginia in 1654 3
Thomas France, who arrived in Maryland in 1680 3
Robert France, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1682
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

France Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Assmes France, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1739 3
Assmes. France, who settled in Philadelphia in 1739
Erasmus France, who arrived at Philadelphia in 1739
Hanes France, who arrived at Philadelphia in 1739
Edward France who settled in Boston in 1767
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

France Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Joseph France, aged 20, who arrived in Rhode Island in 1812 3
John France, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1826 3
Jacob France, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1840 3
William France, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1844 3
A M France, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

France migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

France Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Richard France, British Convict who was convicted in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Caledonia" on 5th July 1820, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4
Joseph France, English convict from Worcester, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on July 29th, 1823, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 5
Mr. William France, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Elphinstone" on 27th May 1837, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
Mr. William France, English convict who was convicted in Kingston Upon Hull, Yorkshire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Eden" on 30th September 1848, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island) 7

France migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

France Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

F J France, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1841 aboard the ship Lady Nugent
Ruth France, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1841 aboard the ship Lady Nugent
Frederick John France, aged 35, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Lady Nugent" in 1841
Ruth France, aged 31, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Lady Nugent" in 1841
Frederick France, aged 5, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Lady Nugent" in 1841
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name France (post 1700) +

Frederick Douglas "Doug" France Jr. (1953-2016), American National Football League offensive lineman
Alfred E. France (1927-2015), American businessman and politician, Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives (1963-1970)
Michael France (1962-2013), American screenwriter, best remembered for writing screenplays for Cliffhanger (1993), GoldenEye (1995), Hulk (2003), and Fantastic Four (2005)
Todd France, American professional football player
Robbie France (b. 1959), English drummer, producer, arranger, journalist, music educator, and broadcaster
Sir Arnold France, Chairman of Board of Church of England
Simon Peter France (1958-2023), New Zealand lawyer and jurist from Whangarei, Judge of the High Court of New Zealand (2005–2022) and Court of Appeal of New Zealand (2022–2023)
Sir Arnold William France, British Chairman Central Board of Finance
Anatole France (1844-1924), French author
Stuart France O'Connell (1935-2019), New Zealand prelate, 5th Catholic Bishop of Rarotonga (1996–2011)

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/caledonia
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1823 with 151 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1823
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 18th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elphinstone
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th November 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eden