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[Opinions] Re: Frank
in reply to a message by Eilis
Just curious if you know the reason Frank is a nn for Francis, or do they just seem disconnected in your opinion? Also, do they not "belong" to each other for you because they have different feels to them?I'll admit to occasionally liking things spelled oddly if they look appealing. Franck is kind of cool!

This message was edited 10/18/2010, 9:31 AM

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I'm not sure about the history of Frank as a nn for Francis, but I agree that they do feel very different and seem disconnected. Frank has been used as a full name since at least the nineteenth century.
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In the middle ages a common diminuative of a name was to add -kin to it. I'd imagine that's how you get Frank from Francis, same as how you get Hank from Henry, Jack from John, Rick from Richard, etc.I get a very similar underlying feeling from both names, so I guess I have no problem loving Frank as a nn for Francis! I think Francis feels much more formal and Frank is nice and rugged, and I like that there are both options with the same name.

This message was edited 10/18/2010, 11:42 AM

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I knew a German guy whose name was Franck, pronounced more like Frunk or Frahnk than the apple sound in Frank. But I don't know if it was short for anything.
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