 The German name for Franconia, "Franken", comes from the dative plural form of "Franke," a member of the Germanic tribe known as the Franks.The name of the Franks in turn derives from a word meaning "daring, bold", cognate with old Norwegian "frakkr", "quick, bold".Franks from the Middle and Lower Rhine gradually gained control of (and so gave their name to) what is now Franconia during the 6th to 8th centuries.