# It isn't FRANCES, it's FRANCIS!! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 4, 2004, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-isnt-frances-its-francis/263119 "2004-09-04T16:09:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2004, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-isnt-frances-its-francis/263119/41 "2004-09-05T15:57:15Z")
> [@bluecanary](#): > > Isn’t Shawn a female version of Sean, as in Shawn Colvin? According to Paul Fussell, in his book _Class_, the spelling “Shawn” is sometimes used for boys by parents worried that people might not understand the “Sean” spelling. I haven’t actually seen this, but nothing would surprise me. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2004, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-isnt-frances-its-francis/263119/42 "2004-09-05T16:27:10Z")
> [@danceswithcats](#): > > That’s a pretty cheesy name! Was it intentional or just a touch of feta? They just thought it would be a gouda dea! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2004, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-isnt-frances-its-francis/263119/43 "2004-09-05T16:45:49Z")
> [@Spectre of Pithecanthropus](#): > > According to Paul Fussell, in his book _Class_, the spelling “Shawn” is sometimes used for boys by parents worried that people might not understand the “Sean” spelling. I haven’t actually seen this, but nothing would surprise me. There are no less than three men at my office (out of about 140 peopl) named Shawn. Three! And not a single Sean. ---
**Author:** ![Ms\_Boods](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@Ms\_Boods](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Boods)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2004, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-isnt-frances-its-francis/263119/44 "2004-09-05T16:54:15Z")
> [@Spectre of Pithecanthropus](#): > > According to Paul Fussell, in his book _Class_, the spelling “Shawn” is sometimes used for boys by parents worried that people might not understand the “Sean” spelling. I haven’t actually seen this, but nothing would surprise me. My cousin called her son ‘Shawn’ for that very reason (wee Shawn is now about 35.) My given name can be spelt about ninety-twelve different ways, and I find it rather interesting how people assume it’s spelt; I’ve also had it pronounced four or fine different ways. It’s all right; I don’t answer anyway. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Time\_Like\_Tears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/df705f/32.png) [@Time\_Like\_Tears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Time_Like_Tears)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2004, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-isnt-frances-its-francis/263119/45 "2004-09-05T19:49:45Z")
As for the op; :: points and giggles :: My sister is Caitlyn Frances. We just left our vacation on St. George Island, FL to make sure we were clear of Hurricane Frances, who seems to be as big a bitch as my sis is. To continue the name hijack - My Irish family tends toward Irish names. I wanna name a daughter Aislyn (the -yn instead of the -in to honor above named sis), but I just KNOW she’s going to grow up getting called aase-lynn. That will bother me. I will try to nickname her ‘Ash’ just to keep things straight. My other girl name choice is Rya (rye-uh). I am sure someone will find ways to screw that up, too. It’s all in trying to be a bit original. It’s a personal thing, I am a Sarah. I must know at least 50 other Sarahs and those are just the ones close to my age. It gets harder and harder to retain dignity in a name, though, if you’re going for originality. I guess a good rule is to avoid like the plague ending a name in -ie or -i. ;j and this dude, cause he doesn’t get used often enough. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2004, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-isnt-frances-its-francis/263119/46 "2004-09-06T07:10:01Z")
> [@ltfire](#): > > BOB, like what you call a guy without limbs, in the water? What you call that guy is “fucked.” Not a great name, really. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2004, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-isnt-frances-its-francis/263119/47 "2004-09-06T07:35:42Z")
> [@Ms Boods](#): > > Bob? Odd name for a girl, innit? > > 😃 It’s short. For Kate. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2004, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-isnt-frances-its-francis/263119/48 "2004-09-06T15:23:51Z")
> [@](#): > > folks named Frank, Francis, Frances, Francisco, Francesco, Francesca, Francois(e), …Fran, Frannie, Little Frannie-Poo… This Python hijack is now over. I return you to your regularly scheduled thread. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2004, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-isnt-frances-its-francis/263119/49 "2004-09-06T15:48:02Z")
Last week I was talking to a hairdresser, who said she worked at that place on 53rd Street. “You mean REE-na’s?” (I had always thought it was odd to name a girl after her kidneys.) She looked at me as if I were daft. “No, silly, it’s Ruh-NAY, not REE-na.” :rolleyes: Well, you live and learn, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2004, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-isnt-frances-its-francis/263119/50 "2004-09-08T00:40:30Z")
one final note on my Grandma in law, Frances, and Hurricane Frances. Our Frances is 94, and quite blind. She was taken in by good samaritans who shared their hotel room with her during the evacuation, yet was rather upset that she didn’t get her own private room. Upon return to her home area, her good samaritans beseeched her to be patient so they could check out their home, and those of a few neighbors, before driving her the further 30 miles to her place. Dissatisfied with waiting, our Frances walked out of the house where she was to await our samaritans’ return, flagged down a passing car, and offered the driver $50 to drive her to her own place. Which driver did. There she found her place all in apple-pie order, complete with running water and electricity. Damn if Nana Nana didn’t outstubborn her namesake hurricane. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2004, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-isnt-frances-its-francis/263119/51 "2004-09-08T12:05:57Z")
> [@Qadgop the Mercotan](#): > > And your Nana Nana Frances is presently sitting in the lobby of her Orlando motel demanding her own private room! > > Oh well, at 94 you can be ornery. > > Not that she was different at 64. Or at 14, from what I’ve been told! > > 😃 HEY! I got scolded by you for making light of the hurricane and I’m not even your daughter. Anyway, if Nana Nana Frances makes it to 2008, she might be able to witness hurricane [Nana](http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutnames.shtml) too. ---
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2004, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-isnt-frances-its-francis/263119/52 "2004-09-08T14:27:17Z")
> [@Joe Random](#): > > A slight hijack, but you look like you could use a link to [Googlefight](http://www.googlefight.com/cgi-bin/compare.pl?q1=Hurricane+Francis&q2=Hurricane+Frances&B1=Make+a+fight%21&compare=1&langue=us). _showers him with kisses_ Thank you! I didn’t know about this! I am now two months past a bet on whether it’s Kirkland’s Warbler or Kirtland’s Warbler, and while I am right, the welching tightwad who refuses to pay up the $25 he owes me is alleging that because the wrong spelling is so prevalent on google, he can also claim to have found it spelled “his way.” Sweet! Sorry honey. Fork it over. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-isnt-frances-its-francis/263119/53 "2004-09-09T01:44:15Z")
Oh, and for the new hurricane, it’s not Ivan, it’s John. ---
**Author:** ![rivulus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/839c29/32.png) [@rivulus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rivulus)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2004, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-isnt-frances-its-francis/263119/54 "2004-09-09T20:33:29Z")
> [@iampunha](#): > > Amusingly enough, my dead grandmother’s first name (as opposed to that of my life grandmother) was Frances. When she came over to the USA from France, she had to have a birth certificate made, and the name on it was Francis. Curiously, my grandmother was also named Frances, whereas her birth certificate spelled her name Francis. I smell a conspiracy. (Just kidding. Oh, and she was not born in France but in the USA.) ---
**Author:** ![kath94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/67e7ee/32.png) [@kath94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kath94)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2004, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-isnt-frances-its-francis/263119/55 "2004-09-10T21:09:34Z")
Just thought I’d add my own remedy to the Francis/Frances dilemma. Growing up in an Irish Catholic family, I never had one Francis/Frances relative, although my mom used to refer to an Uncle Fran, but I never met him. I must have been well into my 30’s before somebody taught me an easy way to remember. For the female name, it’s Franc **E** s. E as in FEmale. Get it? I’ll never forget, and now neither will you! ---
**Author:** ![Hedda\_Rosa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hedda_rosa/32/1204_2.png) [@Hedda\_Rosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hedda_Rosa)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2004, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-isnt-frances-its-francis/263119/56 "2004-09-10T22:33:18Z")
> [@Hentor the Barbarian](#): > > How many Americans are named Gaston? Hermine? My great-aunt is named Hermine. Nowadays of course wherever she goes everyone wants to spell and say it _Hermione_… :rolleyes: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-isnt-frances-its-francis/263119.md?page=2)