The Franklin Surname
Franklin Name Meaning and History
- English: status name from Middle English frankelin ‘franklin’, a technical term of the feudal system, from Anglo-Norman French franc ‘free’ (see Frank 2) + the Germanic suffix -ling. The status of the franklin varied somewhat according to time and place in medieval England; in general, he was a free man and a holder of fairly extensive areas of land, a gentleman ranked above the main body of minor freeholders but below a knight or a member of the nobility.
- The surname is also borne by Jews, in which case it represents an Americanized form of one or more like-sounding Jewish surnames.
- In modern times, this has been used to Americanize François, the French form of Francis.
Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4
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