What Is the Origin of the Name Frank?

There are all sorts of a theories on the origin of the name frank. It's something that, in fact, even mediaeval historians themselves seem to have struggled quite a bit with. Many scholars believe that the term is derived from the germanic adjective franca. The term has also been traditionally associated with a specific type of weapon, like like a spear or a javelin. Then there'ste the idea of the word frank in free, which we still use in english to day in a similar context.