- 1,212
- people in the U.S. have this name Get contact details for people named Frank White
Meaning & Origins
Of Germanic origin. The name referred originally to a member of the tribe of the Franks, who are said to have got the name from a characteristic type of spear that they used. When the Franks migrated into Gaul in the 4th century, the country received its modern name of France (Late Latin Francia) and the tribal term Frank came to mean ‘Frenchman’. The name is now also used as a short form of Francis or Franklin.
| 73rd in the U.S. for 2011 |
English, Scottish, and Irish: from Middle English whit ‘white’, hence a nickname for someone with white hair or an unnaturally pale complexion. In some cases it represents a Middle English personal name, from an Old English byname, Hwīt(a), of this origin. As a Scottish and Irish surname it has been widely used as a translation of the many Gaelic names based on bán ‘white’ (see Bain 1) or fionn ‘fair’ (see Finn 1). There has also been some confusion with Wight.
| 19th in the U.S. for 2011 |
Nicknames & variations
Franklin, Franky, Frankie, Fran, Franck
Whitaker, Whitehead, Whitney, Whitfield, Whitley, Whitman, Whittaker, Whittington, Whitlock, Whiting
Top state populations
U.S. Distribution Map