Francisco is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the masculine given name ''

Franciscus Franciscus is a Latin given name, originally an epithet meaning "the Frank, the Frenchman". It was applied to Saint Francis of Assisi (1181/82–1226). Francis had been baptized Giovanni (John); his father was Italian and his mother Prov ...

''.

Meaning of the name Francisco

In Spanish, people with the name Francisco are sometimes nicknamed "

Paco Paco is a Spanish nickname for Francisco. According to folk etymology, the nickname has its origins in Saint Francis of Assisi, who was the father of the Franciscan order; his name was written in Latin by the order as (father of the community); ...

". San Francisco de Asís was known as ''Pater Communitatis'' (father of the community) when he founded the

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

order, and "Paco" is a short form of ''Pater Communitatis''. In areas of Spain where

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

is spoken, " Patxi" is the most common nickname; in the Catalan areas, "Cesc" (short for

Francesc Francesc () is a masculine given name of Catalan origin. It is a cognate of Francis, Francesco, Francisco, François, and Franz. People with the name include: *Cesc Fàbregas (Francesc Fàbregas i Soler) (born 1987), Spanish professional football ...

) is often used. In Spanish

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

and in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

, people with the name Francisco are frequently called "

Pancho Pancho is a male nickname for the given name Francisco (Spanish and Portuguese equivalent of Francis). The feminine form is Pancha. It is also sometimes used as a surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name * Pancho Barnes (1901� ...

". " Kiko"and "

Cisco Cisco Systems, Inc. (using the trademark Cisco) is an American multinational digital communications technology conglomerate corporation headquartered in San Jose, California. Cisco develops, manufactures, and sells networking hardware, s ...

" is also used as a nickname, and "

Chicho Chicho is a Spanish male nickname. It can be a pet name for many different Spanish names, including Francisco and Narciso. Notable people known by this nickname include: * Cándido Sibilio * Chicho Frumboli, also known as Mariano Frúmboli, Argen ...

" is another possibility. In Portuguese, people named Francisco are commonly nicknamed " Chico" (''shíco'').

People with the given name

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

(1936-2025) is rendered in the Spanish, Portuguese and Filipino languages as Papa Francisco *

Francisco Acebal Francisco López Acebal (5 April 1866, in Gijón – 5 September 1933) was a Spanish novelist, playwright and journalist. Education He began his studies at the Institute Jovellanos of his native town and continued with Escolapios Madrid. He gradu ...

(1866–1933), Spanish writer and author * Francisco Alves Mendes Filho Cena (1944–1988), known as

Chico Mendes Francisco Alves Mendes Filho, better known as Chico Mendes (; 15 December 1944 – 22 December 1988), was a Brazilian rubber tapper, trade union leader, and environmentalist. He fought to preserve the Amazon rainforest, and advocated for the ...

, Brazilian rubber tapper, unionist and environmental activist * Francisco Anysio de Oliveira Paula Filho (1966–1997), known as Chico Anysio, Brazilian actor, comedian, writer and composer * Francisco de Assis França, known as

Chico Science Chico () means ''small'', ''boy'' or ''child'' in the Spanish language. It is also the nickname for Francisco in the Portuguese language (). Chico may refer to: Places *Chico, California, a city * Chico, Montana, an unincorporated community * Ch ...

, Brazilian singer and composer and one of the founders of the

Mangue Beat The mangue bit or manguebeat movement is a cultural movement created circa 1991 in the city of Recife in Northeast Brazil in reaction to the cultural and economic stagnation of the city. The movement largely focuses on music, but it has its own fa ...

cultural movement *

Francisco (slave) {{No footnotes, date= April 2017 Francisco (died 28 April 1876) was the last person to be executed in Brazil. An enslaved person, he was hanged for the murder of his masters. In 1874, Francisco and two other slaves, Prudêncio and Vicente, were a ...

(died 1876), black slave who killed his masters and the last person executed by Brazil *

Francisco Ayala (disambiguation) Francisco Ayala may refer to: * Francisco Ayala (novelist) (1906–2009), Spanish novelist * Francisco J. Ayala Francisco José Ayala Pereda (March 12, 1934 – March 3, 2023) was a Spanish-American evolutionary biologist and philosopher who ...

, several people *

Francisco J. Ayala Francisco José Ayala Pereda (March 12, 1934 – March 3, 2023) was a Spanish-American evolutionary biologist and philosopher who was a longtime faculty member at the University of California, Irvine, and University of California, Davis. Ayal ...

(1934–2023), Spanish-American biologist and philosopher * Francisco de Borja Echeverría (1848–1904), Chilean diplomat and politician * Francisco Buarque de Hollanda, popularly known as

Chico Buarque Francisco Buarque de Hollanda (born 19 June 1944), popularly known simply as Chico Buarque (), is a Brazilian singer-songwriter, guitarist, composer, playwright, writer, and poet. He is best known for his music, which often includes social, econom ...

, Brazilian singer, guitarist, composer, dramatist, writer and poet *

Francisco Caamaño Domínguez Francisco Caamaño Domínguez (born 8 January 1963) is a Spanish politician, who served as justice minister from 2009 to 2011. He is a member of the Spanish Parliament. Early life and education Caamaño was born in Ceé, A Coruña province, on ...

(born 1963), Spanish politician * Francisco Cabrera (cyclist), Chilean track and road cyclist * Francisco Camino Sánchez (1940–2024), Spanish bullfighter * Francisco X. Camplís (born 1934), American Chicano visual artist and filmmaker * Francisco Carreón, Filipino revolutionary who was the former vice president of the short-lived

Tagalog Republic Tagalog Republic (; ) is a term used to refer to two revolutionary governments involved in the Philippine Revolution against the Spanish Empire and the Philippine–American War. Both were connected to the '' Katipunan'' revolutionary movement. ...

that existed from 1902–1906 *

Francisco Cerúndolo Francisco Cerúndolo (; born 13 August 1998) is an Argentine professional tennis player. He has a career-high ATP singles ranking of world No. 18, achieved on 5 May 2025 and a doubles ranking of No. 203, achieved on 31 October 2022. He is curr ...

(born 1998), Argentine tennis player * Francisco Checa (born 1940), Panamanian basketball player *

Francisco Comesaña Francisco Comesaña (born 6 October 2000) is an Argentine professional tennis player. He has a career-high ATP singles ranking of world No. 67, achieved on 24 February 2025 and a doubles ranking of No. 257, achieved on 8 May 2023. Early life Fra ...

(born 2000), Argentine tennis player *

Francisco Dagohoy Francisco is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the masculine given name ''Franciscus''. Meaning of the name Francisco In Spanish, people with the name Francisco are sometimes nicknamed " Paco". San Francisco de Asís was known as ''Pater Comm ...

, Filipino who started a rebellion against Spain that endured for 85 years *

Francisco Denis Francisco Denis (born 1961) is a Venezuelan actor and director. Denis runs his own theater company in Venezuela, and has acted in about 20 films there. Selected filmography *Takari de Chivo (TBA) Also director and writer *Benigno Cruz (TBA) *Sho ...

, Venezuelan actor and director * Francisco Doratioto (born 1956), Brazilian historian * Francisco Javier Duarte, Laser physicist * Francisco "Paco" Estrada III, American musician * Francisco Fernandes (1940–1980), Indian actor and singer *

Francisco Flores (disambiguation) Francisco Flores may refer to: * Francisco Flores (1926–1986) (1926–1986), Mexican football midfielder * Francisco Flores Pérez (1959–2016), president of El Salvador * Francisco Flores (wrestling) (fl. 1960–1970s), Mexican wrestling prom ...

, several people *

Francisco Fonseca José Francisco "Kikin" Fonseca Guzmán (born 2 October 1979) is a Mexican former professional footballer who played as a striker. He currently works as a football analyst for Televisa Deportes Network. Club career Born in León, Guanajuato ...

, Mexican football (soccer) player *

Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (born Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco Bahamonde; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general and dictator who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces i ...

, Spanish politician (1939–1975) * Francisco García, Dominican basketball player * Francisco Manuel de las Heras y Borrero (1951–2013), Spanish historian * Francisco Horta (born 1993), Mexican boxer * Francisco Hudson (1826–1859), Chilean navy officer and hydrographer *

Francisco I. Madero Francisco Ignacio Madero González (; 30 October 1873 – 22 February 1913) was a Mexican businessman, revolutionary, writer and statesman, who served as the 37th president of Mexico from 1911 until he was deposed in a coup d'état in Februa ...

(1873-1913) 37th president of Mexico that started the Mexican Revolution * Francisco Infante-Arana (born 1943), Russian painter * Francisco de Jesus, Brazilian boxer * Francisco Jiménez (born 1943), Mexican-American author * Francisco Leal (1968-) Spanish sprint canoer * Francisco Lachowski, Brazilian model * Francisco Liaño, Spanish footballer *

Francisco Lindor Francisco Miguel Lindor Serrano (born November 14, 1993), nicknamed "Mr. Smile", is a Puerto Rican professional baseball shortstop for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Cleveland Indians. ...

, MLB shortstop * Francisco Liriano, MLB starting pitcher * Francisco Marto, Fatima visionary * Francisco Morales, Argentine judoka *

Francisco Macías Nguema Francisco Macías Nguema (born Mez-m Ngueme, later Africanisation, Africanised to Masie Nguema Biyogo Ñegue Ndong; 1 January 1924 – 29 September 1979), often referred to as Macías Nguema or simply Macías, was an Equatoguinean politician w ...

, later Africanized his name to Masie Nguema Biyogo Ñegue Ndong, former dictator of

Equatorial Guinea Equatorial Guinea, officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. It has an area of . Formerly the colony of Spanish Guinea, its post-independence name refers to its location both near the Equ ...

* Francisco Olivencia (1934–2019), Spanish lawyer and politician *

Francisco de Orellana Francisco de Orellana (; 1511 – November 1546) was a Spanish explorer and conquistador. In one of the most improbably successful voyages in known history, Orellana managed to sail the length of the Amazon, arriving at the river's mouth on 24 A ...

(1511–1546), Spanish explorer and conquistador * Francisco de Paula Cândido (1910–2002), known as

Chico Xavier Chico Xavier () or Francisco Cândido Xavier, born Francisco de Paula Cândido (, 2 April 1910 – 30 June 2002), was a popular Brazilian philanthropist and spiritist medium. During a period of 60 years he wrote over 490 books and several th ...

, medium in Brazil's spiritism movement * Francisco Pi y Margall (1824-1901), Spanish politician, 2nd President of the First Spanish Republic in 1873. *

Francisco Pizarro Francisco Pizarro, Marquess of the Atabillos (; ; – 26 June 1541) was a Spanish ''conquistador'', best known for his expeditions that led to the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire. Born in Trujillo, Cáceres, Trujillo, Spain, to a poor fam ...

, Spanish conquistador * Francisco Quevedo, Spanish poet *

Francisco Rivera Pérez Francisco Rivera Pérez (; 5 March 1948 – 26 September 1984), better known as Paquirri (), was a Spanish bullfighter. He died after being gored by a Spanish Fighting Bull, bull named Avispado at the Pozoblanco bullring. During his career, he ...

(1948–1984), Spanish bullfighter * Francisco Rodríguez (baseball, born 1982), (K-Rod) MLB closing pitcher *

Francisco Rodríguez Adrados Francisco Rodríguez Adrados (29 March 192221 July 2020) was a Spanish Hellenist, linguist and translator. He worked most of his career at the Complutense University of Madrid. He was a member of the Real Academia Española and Real Academia d ...

(1922–2020), Spanish hellenist * Francisco Romero López (born 1933), Spanish bullfighter *

Francisco Rotllán Francisco Rotllán Zavala (born January 6, 1970) is a Mexican former footballer who played as a forward. He began his career at Irapuato, moving to Puebla in 1991. He made 15 appearances as Puebla reached the final in the 1991–92 season befor ...

, Mexican football (soccer) player * Francisco Rubio Llorente (1930–2016), Spanish jurist *

Francisco Santos (disambiguation) Francisco Santos may refer to: * Francisco Dos Santos (born 1974), Brazilian footballer * Francisco Santos (swimmer, born 1962), Angolan/Portuguese swimmer, artist and writer, also known as Xesko * Francisco Santos (swimmer, born 1998), Portugues ...

, several people * Francisco Sardinha, Indian politician, former Chief Minister of Goa and member of the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...

Francisco Vásquez de Coronado Francisco is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the masculine given name ''Franciscus''. Meaning of the name Francisco In Spanish, people with the name Francisco are sometimes nicknamed " Paco". San Francisco de Asís was known as ''Pater Comm ...

, Spanish conquistador * Francisco Velázquez, former Argentine roller hockey player * Francisco Lachowski, Brazilian fashion model *

Francisco Victoria Francisco Fernández y Félix, better known as Francisco Victoria, (1796 – 11 September 1830) was an insurgent of the Mexican War of Independence. Being a republican and federalist ideologue, he fought against the imperialist regime of Agust� ...

, Mexican independence fighter *

Francisco Vidal (disambiguation) Francisco Vidal may refer to: * Juan Francisco de Vidal (1800–1863), 19th century President of Peru * Francisco Vidal (actor) (1941–2023), Spanish actor * Francisco Vidal Gormaz (1837–1907), Chilean navy officer and hydrographer * Francisco V ...

, several people * Francisco Vidal (Chilean politician), Chilean politician * Francisco González Gómez (1918–1990), Spanish caricaturist, painter and sculptor who used the pseudonym of ''Francisco'' * Weerahannadige Francisco Fernando (1812–1848), Sri Lankan Sinhala independence revolutionary

As a surname

Refer to

Francisco (surname) __NOTOC__ Francisco is a surname of Spanish or Portuguese origin. The surname is common in the Philippines as well as Mexico. People * Aaron Francisco, American football player * Antônio Francisco (1923–1997), better known as Nininho, Brazil ...

* Aaron Francisco, American football player * Antônio Francisco (1923–1997), better known as Nininho, Brazilian football player * Botong Francisco (1912–1969), Filipino painter * Frank Francisco, Dominican professional baseball pitcher * João Francisco, Brazilian football player * Jason Francisco, Filipino actor and comedian *

Manuel Francisco Manuel Francisco, who died in 2020, aged 84, was a South African professional snooker and billiards player who won the South African amateur Snooker Championship 6 times. Francisco came from a snooker-playing family. His brother Silvino and ...

, South African professional snooker player *

Noel Francisco Noel John Francisco (born August 21, 1969) is an American lawyer who served as Solicitor General of the United States from 2017 to 2020. He was the first Asian American confirmed by the United States Senate to hold the position. Francisco is now a ...

, American attorney, Solicitor General of the United States (2017–2020) *

Osmar Francisco Osmar Francisco Moreira Jesuino, or simply Osmar (born 10 August 1987) is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a forward. Career Osmar joined J2 League club Avispa Fukuoka in August 2012. He made his debut on 12 August 2012 against Shonan Bel ...

, Brazilian footballer *

Pablo Francisco Pablo Ridson Francisco (born January 4, 1974) is an American comedian, actor and writer. He started his career doing Improvisational comedy, improv in Tempe, Arizona. Career In the 1990s, he appeared on ''MADtv'' as a featured player. His stan ...

, American stand-up comedian *

Peter Francisco Peter Francisco (born Pedro Francisco; July 9, 1760 – January 16, 1831) was a Portuguese-born American blacksmith and soldier best known for his service in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Early life Francisco' ...

(1760–1831),

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

soldier *

Peter Francisco (snooker player) Peter Francisco (born 14 February 1962) is a South African former professional snooker player who won the African Snooker Championship 4 times and South African Snooker Championship 8 times and the South African Billiards Championship 13 tim ...

, South African professional snooker player * San Francisco, Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, Italian mystic *

Sergio Francisco Sergio Francisco Ramos (born 19 March 1979), known as Sergio Francisco, is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a striker, currently manager of La Liga club Real Sociedad. He spent the vast majority of his 15-year senior car ...

(born 1979), Spanish footballer *

Silvino Francisco Silvino Francisco (3 May 1946 – 14 December 2024) was a South African professional snooker player who won the 1985 British Open. Snooker career Francisco came from a snooker-playing family. His brother Manuel and nephew Peter both played at ...

(1946–2024), South African professional snooker player

Fictional characters

* Francisco d'Anconia, a character in

Ayn Rand Alice O'Connor (born Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum; , 1905March 6, 1982), better known by her pen name Ayn Rand (), was a Russian-born American writer and philosopher. She is known for her fiction and for developing a philosophical system which s ...

's novel

Atlas Shrugged ''Atlas Shrugged'' is a 1957 novel by Ayn Rand. It is her longest novel, the fourth and final one published during her lifetime, and the one she considered her ''magnum opus'' in the realm of fiction writing. She described the theme of ''Atlas ...

* Francisco Ramon, a

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

in the

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

(sometimes called Paco Ramon) *

Francisco Scaramanga Francisco Scaramanga is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the James Bond novel and film version of '' The Man with the Golden Gun''. Scaramanga is an assassin who kills with his signature weapon, a pistol made of solid gold. In the ...

, the main antagonist of Ian Fleming's last novel, '' The Man with the Golden Gun'' (1964) and the subsequent film adaption from 1974 * Judge Francisco, supporting character in the

Judge Dredd Judge Joseph Dredd is a fictional character created by writer John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra. He first appeared in the second issue of the British weekly anthology Comic book, comic ''2000 AD (comics), 2000 AD'' (1977). He is the magazi ...

comic strip

References

{{given name, type=both Spanish masculine given names Masculine given names Portuguese masculine given names fr:Francisco nl:Francisco ja:フランシスコ nds:Francisco