Franco Family History

Spanish and Italian: from the personal name Franco in origin an ethnic name for a Frank (see Frank). Italian and Spanish: nickname or status name from franco ‘free’ (usually denoting a freed slave).

Americanized form of Slovenian, Slovak, Rusyn, Czech and perhaps also Polish Franko. Spanish and Jewish (Sephardic): habitational name from one of the Spanish towns called (El) Franco.

Jewish (Sephardic): adoption of the Spanish surname (see 1 above) at the moment of conversion to Roman Catholicism.

After the return to Judaism (generations later) some descendants retained the name their families used as Catholics.