Fannie

Meaning of Fannie

Fannie whirls onto the family tree as the bright-eyed, porch-swing nickname of Frances—a Latin descendant of Franciscus, meaning “free one.” In English she’s voiced as FAN-ee, while continental cousins in France and Germany soften her to FAH-nee, two breezy syllables that flutter by like a summer fan. Once a belle of the early 1900s (think cookbook pioneer Fannie Farmer and civil-rights giant Fannie Lou Hamer), the name has sauntered from top-100 fame to today’s vintage-chic hideaway, hovering around the 900s in U.S. charts with a loyal handful of births each year. She carries the nostalgic sparkle of a cameo brooch yet feels spunky enough to headline a modern playlist—proof that freedom, like a good story, never goes out of style.