Franco is the Italian and Spanish short form of Francesco and Francisco, which come from the Latin Franciscus and mean "Frenchman" or, in the older sense of the tribe's name, "free man". The Italian actor Franco Nero and the director Franco Zeffirelli are well-known bearers. In the United States Franco has been in the top 1000 since 2008; it peaked at number 702 in 2016 and ranks number 747 in 2025.