Everyone has encountered a few Spanish names that start with ‘F’. The name Francisco (the Spanish equivalent of Francis) is known worldwide; its visibility has increased through its connection with the well-known city of San Francisco.
Fernando is another Spanish male name that appears on maps of California, as the San Fernando Valley is just north of Los Angeles.
Other Spanish names that begin with ‘F’ include choices for boys like Felipe, Federico, and Fabián, alongside girl names like Fernanda, Fabiola, and Felisa. And there are plenty more that we shall see below.
There is a group of Spanish female names that start with ‘F’ which is related to the Latin word “felix” which means “happy.” These names include Felicidad, Feliciana, and Felisa.
The first of these, Felicidad, corresponds to the capitalized form of the Spanish word “felicidad” which means “happiness.”
Another group of Spanish female names are those related to the Latin word for “flower,” which is “floris” (in the genitive grammatical case). Names in this group include Flor, Flora, Florinda, Florencia, and Florentina. The latter two come from the Latin word “florens” which means “blossoming” and “flowering.”
Some of the Spanish names listed above have English counterparts. See the table below.
| Spanish name | Corresponding English name |
|---|---|
| Fernando | Ferdinand |
| Francisco | Francis |
| Felipe | Philip |
| Federico | Frederick |
| Filemón | Philemon |
| Fabián | Fabian |
| Félix | Felix |
| Franco | Frank |
| Fausto | Faust |
A few Spanish names that start with ‘F’ correspond to English names that begin with ‘Ph.’ Examples include the name Felipe (Philip), which is rather common, and Filemón (Philemon), which is a bit rarer.
The spelling difference between those two Spanish names and their English counterparts mirrors differences in the spelling of Spanish vocabulary words like “filosofía” (philosophy) and “fonética” (phonetics).
Some names in this list have nice meanings. For instance, the name Facundo is spelled the same (except for the initial capital letter) as the Spanish word “facundo,” which means “eloquent.”
Some of these Spanish male names are also Italian names. Examples include Fabio and Flavio. Because Spanish and Italian are both Romance languages that evolved from Latin, it is natural to see some overlap between the names in these two languages.
Some other Spanish names differ slightly in spelling compared to their Italian versions. For instance, the Spanish names Francisco, Fernando, and Felipe correspond to the Italian names Francesco, Ferdinando, and Filippo.
A famous namesake can increase the attractiveness of a name. Famous individuals with Spanish first names that begin with ‘F’ include two well-known artists (Francisco Goya and Frida Kahlo). Additional examples are provided in the table below.
| Name | Occupation |
|---|---|
| Francisco Goya | Spanish painter |
| Frida Kahlo | Mexican painter |
| Federico García Lorca | Spanish poet and playwright |
| Fidel Castro | Former Cuban President |
| Fernando de la Rúa | Former President of Argentina |
| Fernando del Paso | Mexican novelist and poet |
| Felipe Calderón | Former President of Mexico |
| Florinda Meza | Mexican actress |
| Florencia Peña | Actress from Argentina |
| Francisco Vázquez de Coronado | Spanish conquistador |
| Fabián Bielinsky | Film director from Argentina |