| Francesco | Nicola | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Frenchman; free man | Victory of the people |
| Origin | italian | Italian |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | frahn-CHEH-skoh | nee-KOH-lah |
| Syllables | 3 | 3 |
| First appeared | 1906 | 1908 |
| Peak year | 2006 (166) | 1972 (53) |
| In 2025 | 145 | 28 |
| Trend | Steady | Steady |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Francesco | Nicola |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 844 | 190 |
| 2010s | 1,256 | 245 |
| 2000s | 1,478 | 349 |
| 1990s | 1,337 | 413 |
| 1980s | 1,064 | 320 |
| 1970s | 998 | 441 |
| 1960s | 503 | 335 |
| 1950s | 282 | 159 |
| 1940s | 66 | 84 |
| 1930s | 106 | 85 |
| 1920s | 202 | 188 |
| 1910s | 286 | 197 |
| 1900s | 24 | 6 |
Italian form of Francis, from Late Latin 'Franciscus' meaning 'Frenchman', from the Germanic Franks (whose own name is often tied to a word for 'free'). Borne by Saint Francis of Assisi.
Nicola is the Italian form of Nicholas — a boys’ name in Italy, “victory of the people.”
Francesco is more popular than Nicola today: about 145 US babies were given the name Francesco in 2025, compared with 28 named Nicola.
Francesco means Frenchman; free man (italian origin), while Nicola means Victory of the people (Italian origin).
In US records, Francesco first appears in 1906 and Nicola in 1908, so Francesco has the longer recorded history.