Francisca is a feminine given name, the masculine form being Francisco. It is also related to many other names, such as Frances, Francis, Françoise, and Franz. It originated from the Germanic languages, before changing in form and meaning through Medieval Latin and into Spanish.
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Etymology and meanings
Francisca is the feminine form of Francisco, which derives from the Latin given name Franciscus.
Francisca derives from the Medieval Latin Francus / Franciscus, meaning "belonging to the people of the Franks", a Germanic people of central Europe. The Franks derived their tribal name from a type of throwing axe, known as a francisca, that they used as a weapon during the early Middle Ages. The Franks were the only tribe who had rights of free citizens in the Middle Ages, so the term frank came to mean a free, sincere, or true. The word came from the Germanic word frankô (or franka), which referred to a weapon like a javelin or spear. Before this, in Proto-Germanic the word was sahsą, meaning "knife" or "dagger".
Paquita is a Spanish diminutive form of Francisca.
People
Notable people with the name include:
Francisca Ballesteros (born 1969), Spanish serial killer
Maria Francisca Bia (1809-1889), Dutch dancer, singer, and actress
Ana Francisca de Borja y Doria (1640-1706), first female governor of the Viceroyalty of Peru
Francisca Duarte (1595–1640), Portuguese singer
Francisca Campos (born 1985), Chilean mountain biker
Francisca del Espiritu Santo Fuentes (1647-1711), Filipina religious leader
Francisca Martínez (born 1966), Mexican race walker
Francisca Motta (born 1940), Brazilian historian and politician
Francisca Nuñez de Carabajal (circa 1540-1596), victim of the Inquisition
Francisca Nneka Okeke, Nigerian physicist
Francisca Pleguezuelos (born 1950), Spanish politician
Francisca Queiroz (born 1979), Brazilian actress
Francisca Rojas (born 1865), Argentine murderer
Francisca Sarasate (1853-1922), Spanish writer
Francisca Senhorinha da Motta Diniz , Brazilian teacher and feminist
Francisca Stading (1763-1836), Swedish opera singer
Francisca Subirana (1900–1981), Spanish tennis player
Fransisca Saraswati Puspa Dewi (born 2000), Indonesian actress, singer, dancer, and presenter
Francisca Wieser (1869–1949), American scientific illustrator
Dilian Francisca Toro (born 1959), Colombian doctor and politician
Francisca Urio (born 1981), German singer-songwriter and radio presenter
Infanta Francisca Josefa of Portugal (1699-1736), Portuguese princess
Infanta Maria Francisca of Portugal (1800-1834), daughter of King John VI of Portugal and Carlota Joaquina of Borbón
Infanta Mariana Francisca of Portugal (1736-1813), Portuguese princess
Maria Francisca of Nemours (1646-1683), Queen of Portugal
Princess Francisca of Brazil (1824-1898), Brazilian princess and Portuguese infanta
Fictional characters
Francisca, from Kirby Star Allies
Franziska von Karma, from Ace Attorney