Name of France

The name France comes from Latin Francia, which means "land of the Franks." It used to describe a big area called the Empire of the Franks, from southern France to eastern Germany. Today, Germany still calls the country Frankreich, and Dutch says Frankrijk, both meaning "the land of the Franks."

Background

Gallia and Gaul

See also: Gaul

Before it was called France, the land was known as Gaul. This name was used even when the Franks' kings like Clovis I, Charles Martel, Pepin the Short, and Charlemagne began to rule. People in Europe who used Latin still called the place Gallia. In English, the words Gaul and Gaulish come from French words. Today, the word Gaule is only used when talking about history. The symbol of the Coq Gaulois (the Gallic rooster) represents France, and Astérix le Gaulois (Asterix, the Gaul) is a popular series of French comic books.

In Greek, France is still called Γαλλία (Gallia).

Francia

Main article: Name of the Franks

See also: Francia

During the time of the Franks' kings Clovis I, Charles Martel, Pepin the Short, and Charlemagne, a large area that included most of modern France and Germany was called the Kingdom of Franks or Francia. In 843, the Frankish Empire was divided into three parts: West Francia, Middle Francia and East Francia.

The kings of Francia Occidentalis kept their land separate and called it Francia. This is where the name France comes from. In German, France is still called Frankreich, meaning "land of the Franks".

France

See also: France

In most Romance languages, France is called "France" or a similar word. This is also where the English name "France" comes from. In most Germanic languages, France is called the "Land of the Franks".

Meanings of the name France

"France" can mean a few different things depending on how we use it. Most commonly, it refers to the whole French Republic, where "French" describes a person's nationality.

Historically, the name "France" comes from the land of the Franks, a group of people from long ago.

"France" can also mean just the main part of the country, called metropolitan France. Sometimes it refers to a specific area around Paris called Île-de-France. This area gave its name to places like Roissy-en-France, where the big airport is located, and the Stade de France.

Other names for France

In Hebrew, France is called צרפת (Tzarfat). In Māori, France is known as Wīwī, which comes from the French words oui, oui meaning "yes, yes." In modern Greek, France is still called Γαλλία (Gallia), a name that comes from Gaul. In Thai, the name for France is ฝรั่งเศส (Farang-set).