Francesca
Encyclopedia
Francesca or Franchesca is a female given name
, derived from the Latin
male name Franciscus meaning 'free'. It is widely used in most romance languages
, including Italian
, French
and Catalan
, and etymologists are unsure as to the place of its origin. It is derived from the same source as the female name Frances, and the male names Francesc, Francesco and Francis.
Given name
A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...
, derived from the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
male name Franciscus meaning 'free'. It is widely used in most romance languages
Romance languages
The Romance languages are a branch of the Indo-European language family, more precisely of the Italic languages subfamily, comprising all the languages that descend from Vulgar Latin, the language of ancient Rome...
, including Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and Catalan
Catalan language
Catalan is a Romance language, the national and only official language of Andorra and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community, where it is known as Valencian , as well as in the city of Alghero, on the Italian island...
, and etymologists are unsure as to the place of its origin. It is derived from the same source as the female name Frances, and the male names Francesc, Francesco and Francis.
People named Francesca
- Francesca AnnisFrancesca AnnisFrancesca Annis is an English actress, known for her film and television appearances, most recently in the BBC series Wives and Daughters, Cranford, and Deceit.-Early life and education:...
, British actor - Francesca BattistelliFrancesca BattistelliFrancesca Battistelli is an American Christian musician from New York City, New York. She was originally an independent artist and had released an independent album, Just a Breath, in 2004. Her first studio album on Fervent Records, My Paper Heart, was released on July 22, 2008...
, American Christian musician - Francesca BeardFrancesca BeardFrancesca Beard is a writer and performance poet.She has been based in London for much of her adult life and cites the city as a major inspiration in her work....
, the contemporary poet - Francesca da RiminiFrancesca da RiminiFrancesca da Rimini or Francesca da Polenta was the daughter of Guido da Polenta, lord of Ravenna. She was a historical contemporary of Dante Alighieri, who portrayed her as a character in the Divine Comedy.-Arranged marriage:...
, the medieval figure - Francesca DaniFrancesca DaniFrancesca Aurora Dani is an Italian cosplayer, net idol and model.- Career :Dani began her cosplay career after entering a contest while she was under age as Sailor Moon. Her website, launched in October 1998, turned into a pay website on 14 April 2002...
, the Italian cosplay model - Francesca GagnonFrancesca GagnonFrancesca Gagnon is a Canadian singer and theatre actress featured in Cirque du Soleil's Alegría and Midnight Sun...
, singer and performer for Cirque du SoleilCirque du SoleilCirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy... - Francesca GalliFrancesca GalliFrancesca Galli is a retired female racing cyclist from Italy. Her biggest achievement was winning the world title in the women's team time trial , alongside Maria Canins, Roberta Bonanomi, and Monica Bandini....
, Italian road racing cyclist - Francesca LeFrancesca LeFrancesca Le is an American pornographic actress and director.Le started in the adult industry in 1990 and retired from performing around 1994. She worked in sales at Extreme Associates where she met her future husband, Mark Wood...
, American pornographic actress - Francesca Lia BlockFrancesca Lia BlockFrancesca Lia Block is the author of adult and young adult fiction, short stories, screenplays and poetry, most famously the Weetzie Bat series. Block wrote her first book, Weetzie Bat, while a student at UC Berkeley; it was published in 1989 by Harper Collins. She is known for her use of imagery,...
, the author of the Weetzie BatWeetzie BatWeetzie Bat is a young adult novel, the first written by American author Francesca Lia Block, originally published in 1989. It is the first in her Dangerous Angels series....
series - Francesca LubianiFrancesca LubianiFrancesca Lubiani is a professional tennis player from Italy. Her best score is three times quarter final of single at Cardiff , Oklahoma City and Istanbul .-Doubles 1 :-External links:...
, Italian tennis player - Francesca MartinezFrancesca MartinezFrancesca Martinez is an English stand-up comedienne and actress. She has toured internationally, including sell-out runs at the Edinburgh Festival, the Melbourne Comedy Festival and the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal...
, British comedienne - Francesca MartinezFrancesca Martinez (Italian model)Francesca Martinez is a model, actress, dancer and singer. She starred in “On The Road” inItaly, Spain and Florida. She was born in Varese, Lombardy, Italy, on December 24, 1980....
, Italian model - Francesca PetitjeanFrancesca PetitjeanFrancesca Petitjean is a professional female bodybuilder from France. Since retiring from bodybuilding competition she has been featured in a number of adult films.-Career:...
, French former bodybuilder and pornographic actress - Francesca PiccininiFrancesca PiccininiFrancesca Piccinini is a female volleyball player who has represented Italy three times at the Summer Olympics. She was a member of the Women's National Team that won the gold medal at the 2002 World Championship in Germany. She made her debut for Italy on 1995-06-10 against the United States...
, an Italian volleyball player - Francesca SalvalajoFrancesca SalvalajoFrancesca Salvalajo is a retired backstroke swimmer from Italy. She represented her native country at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. Salvalajo is a two-time gold medalist at the Mediterranean Games.-References:*...
, Italian backstroke swimmer - Francesca SchiavoneFrancesca SchiavoneFrancesca Schiavone is an Italian tennis player who turned professional in 1998. She won the 2010 French Open singles title, becoming the first Italian woman to win a Grand Slam event in singles. She was also runner-up at the 2011 French Open. As of 24 October 2011, Schiavone's ranking is World...
, Lubiani's Italian compatriot and tennis player - Francesca SimonFrancesca SimonFrancesca Isabelle Simon is an American author living in London, who is mostly known for writing the popular Horrid Henry series of children's books.- Biography :...
, the author of the Horrid HenryHorrid HenryHorrid Henry is a fictional character created by Francesca Simon and illustrated by Tony Ross. The first Horrid Henry book was written and published in 1994 by Orion Books and as of the end of 2010, there have been nineteen titles published, as well as numerous collections, activity books and joke...
series - Francesca WoodmanFrancesca WoodmanFrancesca Woodman was an American photographer best known for her black and white pictures featuring herself and female models. Many of her photographs show young women who are nude, who are blurred , who are merging with their surroundings, or whose faces are obscured...
, American photographer - Piero della FrancescaPiero della FrancescaPiero della Francesca was a painter of the Early Renaissance. As testified by Giorgio Vasari in his Lives of the Artists, to contemporaries he was also known as a mathematician and geometer. Nowadays Piero della Francesca is chiefly appreciated for his art. His painting was characterized by its...
, Italian painter - Francheska YarbusovaFrancheska YarbusovaFrancheska Alfredovna Yarbusova , often credited as F. Yarbusova , is an award-winning Russian artist and the wife and collaborator of Yuriy Norshteyn. Yarbusova received a degree in film animation from VGIK in 1967, after which she began working for Soyuzmultfilm in the roles of art director or...
, award-winning Russian artist and wife of director Yuriy Norshteyn
Fictional characters
- Francesca, a fictional character from the Rankin/Bass classic Mad Monster Party
- Francesca Lucchini, a character from the anime/manga series Strike WitchesStrike Witchesis a mixed-media project originally created by Humikane Shimada via a series of magazine illustration columns. It was later adapted into two light novel series, three manga series, an anime OVA, a televised anime series and various video games. The story revolves around teenage girls who are...
- Francesca, a character from the fictional series by Lauren Kate: FallenFallenFallen could refer to:* Fallen angel* Fallen Footwear, the footwear brand that sponsors skateboarder Jamie Thomas* Fallen , a 2004 crime novel by Kathleen George* Fallen , a young adult fantasy novel by Lauren KateBooks...
- Francesca or Franky, a fictional character from Freaky Green EyesFreaky Green EyesFor the Fourth of July, Franky and Samantha go with their father to Cape Flattery to stay with one of his friends. While there, Franky learns that Reid's friend's sons steal animals from a wildlife refuge and put them in cages to make their own zoo. In the middle of the night, Franky releases all...
Translations
- Slovene: Frančiška
- SpanishSpanish languageSpanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
: Francisca (shortened "Paca") - Nahuatl: Francisca (shortened "Pancha")
- AlbanianAlbanian languageAlbanian is an Indo-European language spoken by approximately 7.6 million people, primarily in Albania and Kosovo but also in other areas of the Balkans in which there is an Albanian population, including western Macedonia, southern Montenegro, southern Serbia and northwestern Greece...
: Francheska
Music
The name Francesca features in several songs, including:- Francesca by MêléeMêlée (band)Mêlée is an American rock band from Orange County in California.-Band members:* Chris Cron * Ricky Sans * Ryan Malloy * Derek Lee Rock|Derek Lee -Studio Albums:-Extended Plays :...
- Francesca by The NeedsThe NeedsSpecial Needs are a five-piece alternative rock group formed in London, England in 1998, disbanded in 2005 and reformed in 2011...
- Francesca by Richard Thompson
- Francesca by Roy HarperRoy HarperRoy Harper is an English folk / rock singer-songwriter and guitarist who has been a professional musician since the mid 1960s...
- Paolo e Francesca by The New Trolls
See also
- List of people starting with "Francesca"
- Hurricane Francesca (disambiguation)
- Francisca (given name)Francisca (given name)Francisca is a feminine given name, and may refer to:* Maria Francisca Bia, Dutch actor* Ana Francisca de Borja y Doria , first female governor of the Viceroyalty of Peru* Dilian Francisca Toro , Colombian doctor and politician...
- FranciscaFranciscaThe francisca is a throwing axe used as a weapon during the Early Middle Ages by the Franks, among whom it was a characteristic national weapon at the time of the Merovingians from about 500 to 750 AD and is known to have been used during the reign of Charlemagne .Although generally associated...
(also spelled "fransisca"), a throwing axe used widely by Germanic peoples — most notably the FranksFranksThe Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
and, to a lesser extent, the Anglo-SaxonsAnglo-SaxonsAnglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
— during and just prior to the Early Middle AgesEarly Middle AgesThe Early Middle Ages was the period of European history lasting from the 5th century to approximately 1000. The Early Middle Ages followed the decline of the Western Roman Empire and preceded the High Middle Ages...