Show ContentsFrancesca History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Francesca

What does the name Francesca mean?

A variety of distinguished and notable names have emerged from the beautiful and historical Italian region of Tuscany, including the notable surname Francesca. During the Middle Ages, as populations grew and travel between regions became more frequent, the people of Tuscany, who were originally known only by a single name, found it necessary to adopt a second name to identify themselves and their families. This process of adopting fixed hereditary surnames in Italy began in the 10th and 11th centuries, but it was not completed until the modern era. The development of Italian hereditary surnames followed general principles and were characterized by derivatives from one's given name. The patronymic surname, which is derived from the father's given name, was one of the most common name types found in the region of Tuscany. This system of name-making was widely used because it linked well with the existing Feudal System and during the Christian era, many people named their children after saints and biblical figures. The surname Francesca came from the very popular medieval given name Francis, which itself was originally derived from the Latin Franciscus. This was originally a name for a Frenchman.

Early Origins of the Francesca family

The surname Francesca was first found in Siena where Bartolomeo di Francesco lived in 1349.

Early History of the Francesca family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Francesca research. The years 1415, 1443, 1468, 1492, 1530, 1540, 1552, 1570, 1580, 1596, 1599, 1611, 1648, 1650, 1680, 1689 and 1729 are included under the topic Early Francesca History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Francesca Spelling Variations

In comparison with other European surnames, Italian surnames have a surprising number of forms. They reflect the regional variations and the many dialects of the Italian language, each with its own distinctive features. For example, in Northern Italy the typical Italian surname suffix is "i", whereas in Southern Italy it is "o". Additionally, spelling changes frequently occurred because medieval scribes and church officials often spelled names as they sounded rather than according to any specific spelling rules. The spelling variations in the name Francesca include Franceschi, Francesco, Francesca, De Franceschi, De Francesco, De Francisci, De Franciscis, Di Francesco, Francescatti, Franchetti, Franciscello, Franceschelli, Franceschetti, Franceschetto, Franceschet, Franceschini, Franceschin, Franceschinel, Francescotti, Francesconi, Francescon, Francescato, Cecchi, Ceschi, Checchi, Chini and many more.

Early Notables of the Francesca family

Prominent among members of the family was

  • Piero della Francesca (c. 1415-1492), was an Early Renaissance painter is famous for his depiction of perspective. He also wrote several books on this subject. Francesco de Franceschi (active 1443-146...

Migration of the Francesca family

An examination into the immigration and passenger lists has discovered a number of people bearing the name Francesca: Frank Franceschini, who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1873.


Contemporary Notables of the name Francesca (post 1700) +

  • Donatella Francesca Versace (b. 1955), Italian fashion designer and current vice president of the Versace Group
  • Maria Francesca Rossetti (1827-1876), English author
  • Imani Francesca Coppola (b. 1978), American singer-songwriter and violinist
  • Francesca Battistelli (b. 1985), American Grammy Award winning Christian pop singer
  • Francesca Segal (b. 1980), British author and journalist
  • Francesca "Frankie" Allen (b. 2002), British adaptive rower, gold medalist at the 2024 Paralympics
  • Francesca Claire Tagliaferri (b. 1999), American professional soccer player
  • Francesca Gargallo (1956-2022), Italian-born, Mexican writer and poet
  • Francesca Tardioli (1965-2022), Italian diplomat, Ambassador of Italy to Australia from 2019 to 2022
  • Francesca Biagini (b. 1973), German and Italian mathematician specializing in mathematical finance, stochastic calculus, and probability theory


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