History of Christian names

by Charlotte M. Yonge

Franz von Sickingen is an instance that already Germany knew the name; but it did not take root there at once. The grandchildren of François I., intermarrying with the house of Lorraine, rendered his namesakes plentiful, both in the blood-stained younger branch of Guise, and in the dull direct stem, the continuation of the Karlingen, who at length, by the marriage with Maria Theresa, were restored to the throne of Charlemagne, in the person of him whom the classicalizing Germans termed Franciskus I. This cumbrous form is still official, but Franz is the real name in universal use in the German parts of the Austrian Empire, though the Slavonic portions generally use the other end of the word, as Zesk.

It was the same gay French monarch who sent us our forms of the name. Mary Tudor, either in gratitude for his kindness, or in memory of her brief queenship of France, christened her first child Frances—that Lady Frances Brandon whose royal blood was so sore a misfortune to her daughters, and who had numerous namesakes among the maidens of the Tudor court; but they do not seem to have then made the distinction of letter that now marks the feminine, and they used what is now the masculine contraction. “Frank, Frank, how long is it since thou wast married to Prannel?” was the rebuke of the Duke of Richmond to his Howard lady when he was pleased to take down her inordinate pride, by reminding her of her youthful elopement with a vintner.

The modern Fanny is apparently of the days of Anne, coming into notice with the beautiful Lady Fanny Shirley, who made it a great favourite, and almost a proverb for prettiness and simplicity, so that the wits of George II.’s time called John, Lord Hervey, ‘Lord Fanny,’ for his effeminacy. Fanny, like Frank, is often given at baptism instead of the full word; and, by an odd caprice, it has lately been adopted in both France and Germany instead of their national contractions.

The masculine came in at the same time, and burst into eminence in the Elizabethan cluster of worthies—Drake, Walsingham, Bacon; but it did not take a thorough hold of the nation, and was much left to the Roman Catholics. It was not till Frank had been restricted to men that it took hold of the popular mind, so as to become prevalent.

The original saint of Assisi made devout Spaniards use Francisco and Francisca, before the fresh honour won for the first by two early Jesuits—the Duke of Gandia, the friend and guide of Charles V., and Xavier, the self-devoted apostle of the Indies. His surname has thrown out another stock. It is in itself Moorish, coming from the Arabic Ga’afar, splendid, the same as that of our old friend, the Giaffar of the Arabian Nights, the Jaffier of old historians. Wherever Jesuits have been, there it is; Savero in Italy, Xavier in France, Xaverie in Wallachia, Xavery in Poland, Saverij in Illyria; Xaveria for the feminine in Roman Catholic Germany, marking the course of the counter-Reformation. Even Ireland deals in Saverius, or Savy, though when English sailors meet a Spanish negro called Xaver, they call him Shaver! Savary de Bohnn, whom Dugdale places under Henry I., was probably a form of Sigeheri, or Saher, which may have been absorbed by Xaver in Roman Catholic lands.

English.	Erse.	Breton.	French.
Francis	Fromsais	Franse	François
Frank
Spanish.	Portuguese.	Italian.	Wallachian.
Francisco	Francisco	Francesco	Francisk
Francilo	Francisquinho	Franco
		Cecco
German.	Dutch.	Scotch.	Swedish.
Franciskus	Frenz	Francie	Frans
Franz
Frank
Polish.	Bohemian.	Slovak.	Lettish.
Franciszek	Frantisek	Francisek	Spranzis
Franck		Franc
		Franjo
		Zesk
Lithuanian.	Finn.	Hungarian.	Greek.
Prancas	Ranssu	Ferencz	Φραγκίσκος
		Ferko
FEMININE.
English.	Breton.	French.	Span. and Por.
Frances	Franseza	Françoise	Francisca
Fanny	Fantik	Francisque
		Fanchette
		Fanchon
Italian.	German.	Dutch.	Polish
Francesca	Franziske	Francyntje	Franciszka
Cecca	Franze	Francina	Franulka
Ceccina	Sprinzchen	Fransje	Franusia
Ceccarella	(Lower German.)
Bohemian.	Slovak.	Hungarian.	Greek.
Frantiska	Franciska	Francziska	Φραγκίσκη[[109]]
	Franika
	Franja

[108]. ‘We-we’ is the name now given by the South Sea Islanders to the French.

[109]. Grimm; Munch; Munter; Michaelis; Alban Butler; Mrs. Rusk, German Empire; Dugdale; Ellis, Domesday.

Section V.—Thor.

The third in the Teutonic Triad is the mighty Thor, whose image stood on the other side of that of Odin, in the northern temples, whose day followed Odin’s, and who was the special deity of the Norsemen, as Wuotan was of the Saxons, and Freyr of the Swedes.