About the surname Franić/Franich/Freniche

After years of dealing with genealogy and research tribes Franić, I was able to draw up this review of the formation and the origin of our tribe.

The church records of the tribe Franic said:

"Very old aristocratic family of Makarska region/county. FRANIĆ and Cvitković and Gojak, are descended from the Croatian princes Nimičić from Jajce (Bosnia & Herzegovina“). In the place Omiska Rogoznica, in the 13th century mention nobles Mikulić and Alaburić with the same emblem as the emblem Nimičić of Illyrian graves. Probably, that one branch of the princes Nimičić moved to Jajce in Bosnia. For the fall of Bosnia, in the year 1463, princes Nimičić, brothers Cvitko, Gojko and Frane, moved to Ljubuski. There, prince Cvitko started a family, from which later becomes earls Cvitkovići. from Gojko and Frane becomes earls of the GOJAK and FRANIĆ. From Citluk (near Ljubuški), FRANIĆ crossed in Makarska region and Baćina. There, in 1609, they became Venetian privileged .. After that, crossing the Vina near Vrgorac where they live today. In the 18th century have been received in Trogir seigniory Council, a coat of arms to them is included in Trogir's golden book. "

So, the first mention of ancestral tribes Franić, our ancestors princes Nimičić dates from the 13th century at Omiška Rogoznica, through going to the Jajce and return to the sea from the invasion of Turks. Through research I came to the data that Franic who arrived in "Makarska region" in fact mostly came from Herzegovina in the former Lapčan, today Gradac (part in other places), and over the years have passed in Baćina, like most tribes from Lapčan which make the inhabitants of Baćina today.

From Baćina, two brothers, Luka, was born around 1690 and Frane went to Vrgorac, later moved to village Vina, where he died. Probably,he arrived in Vina around 1720, since the tribe FRANIĆ permanent residents in the village to this day. They were not the first settlers but became the dominant tribe with over 95% of the population. Franic who arrived in Lapčan and other places of Makarska region are a branch of the tribe Nimičić (which have existed since the time of the Illyrians) who crossed from Dalmatia to Jajce in Bosnia and Herzegovina and because of the Turks invasion, on 1463, they retreated to Herzegovina where prince Frane Nimičić established tribe Franić, somewhere around 1480 and later, in the early 16th century they returned to Lapčan.

Tribe FRANIĆ who live near Blato na Cetini, Omiš, Trogir and other places are the descendants of these same who left from Ljubuski and Čitluk in early 16th century, probably from Lapčan they expanded to Split region and Trogir or came there directly from Herzegovina .

So, all FRANIĆ now living in Croatia and all over the world, including Franić families from Lika (Gacka Valley) that are settled  after the liberation of Lika from the Turks in 1689, when the priest Marko Mesic, who was one of the leaders of the liberation war, organized settlement in the area Mušaluk and Smiljan within the Lika with people from Dalmatia and Herzegovina and more  than 50 years later, in 1751 after a failed uprising frontiersmen in Rudopolje near Gračac , authorities on the deserted lands inhabited by 11 families Franić who lived there until 1941. After WW2 only one family  returned in the village, and up to those in Slavonia (Grubišno Polje, Vinkovci, Pozega) under surname Franić descended from a common ancestor, prince Frane Nimičić who took the surname Franić about  1480.

FRANIĆ are present in all Croatian counties, a total of 123 municipalities and 193 villages, mostly in urban areas (63%). Today most of them live in Split (350), Zagreb (300), Vrgorac (150) Blato na Cetini (90) and in Sukošan near Zadar (70).

Surname Franic is on 147th place in Croatia, with its number of members, a total of 2,418 people