THE ORIGIN OF THE NAME "FRANCESCO"

The name "Francesco" comes from the medieval Latin "Franciscus" which means "Frank" or "belonging to the people of  Franks". Another hypothesis attributes to Francesco (as Franco) the meaning of "free" and, by extension, "free man". It is because the Franks, during the Middle Age, were the only people who could enjoy the right of free citizens. The most famous person to bear the name "Francesco" was St. Francesco D'Assisi, who gave up all his possessions to live in poverty. He became saint patron of Italy with St. Caterina Di Siena. Another important saint with the name "Francesco" is St. Francesco di Sales, saint patron of writers and journalists. A lot of important historical figures beard this name, like the actual Pope Francesco. The name-day is on October the 4th, in honor of St. Francesco D'Assisi.