Paquita

Paquita is a Spanish feminine diminutive pet form, derived from Paca, itself a contracted nickname for Francisca, the Spanish feminine form of Franciscus. Franciscus traces back to the Latin word Franciscus meaning Frankish, referring to the Germanic people known as the Franks, and was widely popularized through Saint Francis of Assisi. The name gained additional cultural visibility through the 19th-century ballet Paquita, first performed in Paris in 1846. Related forms include Paca, Francisca, and the masculine Paco and Francisco.