Franek
The everyday short form of Franciszek, from a Hebrew root that carries the sense of a free man. As a registered first name it stays rare, held by only about 560 Poles, and it reads young: almost all of them turned up on birth certificates this century.
Franek Pronunciation
Franek is pronounced FRAH-nek (/ˈfranɛk/).
What Franek means
Where Franek comes from and what it has meant to the people who carry it.
Franek is the everyday form of Franciszek, the name a boy answers to in the school register and on the football pitch. Franciszek belongs on documents. People actually call out Franek. Behind the short form stands a longer word that the records give a Hebrew origin, with a plain meaning: a free man, człowiek wolny.
Cross a border and the same name becomes František, the Czech form worn by saints and composers. Give it to a daughter and it turns into Franciszka. The root holds while the ending shifts.
On the Polish calendar Franek keeps his imieniny with Franciszek, and the fourth of October gathers a small crowd of them around Saint Francis of Assisi. The name stays close to its short meaning. A free man.
How many people are named Franek
1 in 37848 men in Poland is named Franek. 564 people carry it in the 2025 register: rank #1251 among male names.
Franek's popularity over time
22 boys were given the name in 2025, ranking #493 among newborns. It has been climbing since 2008.
Where parents choose Franek
Franek is most popular in Opole, 198% above the national average (14 boys born 2019–2025), followed by Lubusz (+177%) and Silesian (+73%). It is least common in Holy Cross and Greater Poland, 65% and 63% below average respectively.
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Opole
+198%1 in 3,293 babies
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Lubusz
+177%1 in 3,547 babies
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Silesian
+73%1 in 5,690 babies
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Holy Cross
−65%1 in 27,717 babies
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Greater Poland
−63%1 in 26,905 babies
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Masovian
−47%1 in 18,646 babies
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Opole+198% 14 born1 in 3,293 babies+198%
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Lubusz+177% 14 born1 in 3,547 babies+177%
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Silesian+73% 40 born1 in 5,690 babies+73%
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Pomeranian+60% 24 born1 in 6,138 babies+60%
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Warmian-Masurian+23% 9 born1 in 7,977 babies+23%
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Podlaskie+19% 8 born1 in 8,223 babies+19%
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West Pomeranian+16% 10 born1 in 8,443 babies+16%
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Lublin+15% 12 born1 in 8,556 babies+15%
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Kuyavian-Pomeranian+8% 12 born1 in 9,115 babies+8%
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Subcarpathian−19% 10 born1 in 12,057 babies−19%
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Lesser Poland−22% 18 born1 in 12,606 babies−22%
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Łódź−30% 9 born1 in 14,080 babies−30%
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Lower Silesian−31% 11 born1 in 14,285 babies−31%
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Masovian−47% 19 born1 in 18,646 babies−47%
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Greater Poland−63% 8 born1 in 26,905 babies−63%
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Holy Cross−65% 2 born1 in 27,717 babies−65%
Franek as a middle name
Franek is a first name for 564 men in Poland and a middle name for another 78, an 88/12 split. In the men's middle-name ranking it sits 810th, between Alexandru (78) and Dante (77).
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#808 Solomon79
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#809 Alexandru78
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#810 Franek78
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#811 Dante77
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#812 Jeffrey77