San Francisco was named after a Spanish saint.
Saint Francis of Assisi ( San Francesco d'Assisi ) , born Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone , informally named as Francesco ( 1181/11823 October 1226 ) , was an Italian Roman Catholic friar , deacon and preacher . Along with Saint Catherine of Siena , he was designated Patron saint of Italy . San Francisco ( initials SF ) ( [ sæn_frənˈsɪskoʊ ] , Spanish for Saint Francis ; Spanish : [ san franˈsisko ] ) , officially the City and County of San Francisco , is the cultural , commercial , and financial center of Northern California . San Francisco was founded on June 29 , 1776 , when colonists from Spain established Presidio of San Francisco at the Golden Gate and Mission San Francisco de Asís a few miles away , all named for St. Francis of Assisi .