High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Ripuarian Franks (Latin: Ripuarii) is a distinction of the Frankish people made by a number of writers in the Latin language of the first several centuries of the Christian Era. It is generally conceded that, the lack of any reference whatever to the Franks under that name in any major or minor source, dating to before the Christian Era suggests the "Franks" and "Francia" are innovations dating to no earlier than the first few centuries of that era.