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Francesca enjoyed a vogue in England for a while, and I've never heard it shortened to Fran. That shouldn't be a major worry imo, and the name is beautiful.

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There are *some* names with almost-definite nicknames. Every Christopher I know is Chris; every Benjamin is Ben. But Francesca is not a name with a set nickname; it's not popular enough for that.

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Besides, most people are polite and will not shorten a name without asking. I know I wouldn't. But I have had bad experiences. Many people call me Elle which I like, or Elly which I tolerate. One aunt tried to call me Nell, once, and I flipped! Ugh. So I understand your fear, but if the child doesn't want to be Fran, she never will be. Ultimately it's her choice.

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♥Elinor♥

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"Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so."
~ Douglas Adams

I would never call a Francesca Fran!! (unless that is how she was introduced). Francesca is far too pretty to be called Fran, although I think Franny is cute. Another nickname would discourage Fran being used though. And as long as she doesn't want to be called Fran, I think a few "that's not her/my name" should stop it.

Go with Francesca! I'm loving it lately. I'd be surprised if people called her Fran. And Frachesca isn't a patch on Francesca.

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Go for it!

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I love Francesca, personally. I think it's beautiful and at least where I live it's very uncommon. Good choice. :-) I'd say stick with Francesca instead of changing it to Frachesca.

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This website lists Franca as a contracted form of Francesca, and personally I think it would make a cute nickname. I don't like Fran myself, either.

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But if you don't like any possible nicknames for it, I still think it's very possible to just have your girl go by Francesca. I know Elizabeths, Catherines, Bethanys, Andrews, and so on that use their full names and never a nickname. It's very possible to use her full name and, if that's what she prefers when she's old enough to decide for herself, other people will likely use it to instead of a nickname. With a name this uncommon, too, I don't think there's a nickname that people will automatically assume (like Liz for Elizabeth) and they'll be less likely to use it without her specifically telling them to.

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I say go for it. :-) It's a beautiful name. By the way, do you have ideas for a middle name? Just curious!

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First off, big congratulations!

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I quite like Fran (and love Francesca) actually, but that's just my personal opinion. I think if you call her Francesca at home, then when she's older and people ask her if she goes by Fran or Francesca she can say her full name. Most people would have the courtesy to do that, rather than just call her Fran straight off the bat.

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Besides, it could be worse - people could be calling her Frankie. And if that's the reason you can't use the name, then think yourself lucky. I love Oliver but can never use it because of a certain Ms Rowling...

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'New teeth. That's weird.'
The Tenth Doctor (David Tennant), Doctor Who (The Parting of the Ways)

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Liking: Tabitha Clare, Felicity Ayla, Alexander Matthew, Daniel James, Oliver Stewart

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Proud 'mother' of 18 PPs! See my profile!

Francesca's a great name! I don't think Fran's a bad name, and also, kids in her age group won't know that nickname. And if you always and only call her Francesca or another nickname (ie, Frankie) you won't have as much trouble.

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Don't change it to Frachesca. That will cause alot of problems, she'll always have to explain her name.

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"To know the laws is not to memorize their letter but to grasp their full force and meaning." -Marcus Tullius Cicero

I don't think people actually would call her Fran.

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Her own peers won't really have heard of it while she's young, and probably won't think it sounds good even if they do think it up. Older people will know better than to call her Fran when she's introduced as Francesca.

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Or you could prevent it altogether by calling her Frannie, Francie, Ches etc. from day one, if you think the name is too long for everyday and needs a familiar form.

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I had a Francesca in my high school who was never nicknamed at all. Fran would never have happened; we all knew it was not for our generation, and it didn't suit her anyway.

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- chazda

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I love the name Francesca, please dont drop the n it looks realy wrong to me. I have a friend caled Francesca & she also used to hate being called Fran, therefore she first adopted the nn Cesca & now is mostly known as Effy. However some people do insist on calling her Fran to the extent she has given up trying to stop them & just accepts it. If you dont like Fran I'd recomend you come up with an alternative nn as people will shorten anything, so better you do it for them.

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~ ☼ ~ Evy ~ ☼ ~

My answer from the Facts board

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If you call her Cesca or whatever you want her to be called, people will call her that. As soon as she's at school, this might change though, but then she is old enough to decide what she wants to be called. My mother thought Cerridwen (see Ceridwen) would discourage nn's but I'm now mostly know as Cerri at school. :-)

Frachesca looks sad and incorrect to me. Please use Francesca--there wouldn't be an entire poem about it if it wasn't a fantastic name!

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Honestly, Fran's not a name that's popular nowadays--I don't see why people would call her by it. And considering how utterly uptight people have gotten about not giving children nicknames (one of my pet peeves, but that's another story), they'll probably dance around the issue of calling her anything but Francesca anyway.

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But seriously--how can you possibly resist a name with such a nice poem to go with it?

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"The Choosing of the Name" -- Charlotte Pomerantz

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We wanted a name, not too fancy or plain;
More common than Unagh, less common than Jane.
Francesca was different, yet not too bizarre.
It conjured up sea wind and moon and guitar.
Still it was earthy and gallant and strong.
Quite perfect in length: not too short, not too long.
So I called to report to Brooklyn aunt.
When I mentioned the name, she said, "But you can't!"
"You don't like Francesca?" I said. "What a shame.
Of all names for girls, it's our favourite name."
"I adore it," she said. "It charms and delights.
But Francesca is sweeping through Brooklyn Heights!
There are six on my block and one right upstairs.
There are days when one sees them strolling in pairs.
My Herbie has one is his piccolo class.
Flo says there are two in percussion and brass."
So once more we sloshed through puddles of names,
More common than Cuthbert, less common than James.
We bumbled through names by the bushel, the peck;
Names a la Russe, a l'Anglaise, a la Grecque.
We listed close relatives here and abroad:
Fabrizio, Vyacheslav, Shrulnik, and Maud.
He thought of his kinfolk outside of Milano:
Aunt Fortunata and Uncle Arcano.
I remembered some cousins in Leningrad:
One Stanislav (Stanley?), one Vladimir (Vlad?).
He remembered a distant cousin, Lavinia,
Who mailed him prosciutto first-class from Sardinia.

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NO WAY!!! Please don't drop the N. It justsounds too weird and it would always be confusing and spelt wrong!

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I don't think people will always call her Fran. I know a Francesca who has never been called Fran. If you don't call her that then other people probaly won't either.

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Ceevie, mummy to Liam, Alex, Ruby and bub-on-the-way

If you tell people not to call her Fran, they won't. Then, when she grows up, she will decide what she wants to be called. Francesca is a beautiful name, don't let others discourage you, and please don't butcher it!

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Father: The mill's closed. There's no more work. We're destitute.
Children: Ohhhhh.
Father: I'm afraid I have no choice but to sell you all for scientific experiments.
(The Meaning of Life)