Florence

Latin

"flourishing, prosperous"

Florence Origin and Meaning

The name Florence is a girl's name of Latin origin meaning "flourishing, prosperous".

Florence is back, returning to the US Top 1000 girl names in 2017 after a nearly 40 year absence. Other English-speaking countries have been quicker to welcome Florence back into fashion.

The name has a lot going for it, both for its floral feel and as a place name connection to the lovely Italian city (after which Florence Nightingale was named—it was her birthplace). The association to the city seems to be helping Florence stir back to life, along with cousin Flora.

The band Florence + the Machine, headlined by red-haired Florence Welch, has also helped to rejuvenate its image.

Florence was most popular in the US at the turn of the last century and in the early decades of the twentieth—it was in the Top 10 from 1886 to 1906.

Florence has a diverse mixture of namesakes and references—a character in Dickens's Dombey & Sons, a US First Lady (Harding), one of the Supremes, the Brady Bunch's Henderson, track and field star Florence Griffith Joyner, and several TV characters.

Florence has some particularly lively nicknames—Flo, Flossie, and Florrie.

Florence Rank in US Top 1000

# 521 in the US

Florence Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 48 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Florence

• 521 US 2023
• 48 Nameberry 2025
• 23 Canada 2023
• 99 Future 2035
• 8 England 2023
• 64 Scotland 2023
• 30 Australia 2023
• 51 New Zealand 2024
• 61 Belgium 2023

20 Names Similar to Florence

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Florence.

• Matilda
• Beatrix
• Beatrice
• Edith
• Gwenneth
• Dorotha
• Flora
• Mabel
• Daphne
• Clementine
• Phoebe
• Esther
• Lallia
• Frides
• Ushas
• Umme
• Ugnė
• Imogen
• Cidney
• Duwayne

Famous People Named Florence

• Florence Nightingale English pioneering nurse
• Florence Glenda Ballard American singer of The Supremes
• Florence Leontine Mary Welch English singer of Florence and the Machine
• Florence Caroline Dixie English journalist and feminist
• Florence Delorez Griffith Joyner, American Olympic sprinter
• Florence Mabel Kling Harding wife of U.S. president Warren G. Harding
• Florence Agnes Henderson American actress and singer
• (Narcissa) Florence Foster Jenkins American operatic soprano
• Florence Kelley American social reformer and feminist
• Florence Virginia King American novelist
• Florence Knight English celebrity chef
• Florence Reed American actress
• Florence Ada Fuller Australian painter
• Florence "Flee" Brudenell Bruce, English model
• Florence Rena Sabin American medical scientist
• Florence Sophie (Schorske) Wald American pioneering hospice nurse
• Florence Reece American union activist and songwriter
• Florence Clive daughter of actress Michelle Newell and John Clive
• Florence Faivre French,Thai actress
• Florence Elsie Outhwaite (b. 2008) daughter of actors Tamzin Outhwaite and Tom Ellis
• Florence Rose Endellion Cameron (b. 2010) daughter of British Prime Minister David Cameron
• Florence Myra Zamparelli daughter of TV presenter Jennifer Maguire & Lauterio Zamparelli
• Florence May King (b. 2016) daughter of actress Candice Accola and The Fray's guitarist Joe King
• Florence Pugh English actress
• Florence Chadwick American swimmer
• Florence Given English author and feminist illustrator

The name Florence in Pop Culture

• Florence Johnston character on TV's "The Jeffersons"
• Florence Jean Castleberry character in the film "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore"
• Florence character in animated series "The Magic Roundabout"
• Florence character in "The Unwanteds" series by Lisa McMann
• Florence de Grey character in Jenny Nimmo's "The Children of the Red King" series
• Florence Hayes (male) character in Bravo's "Imposters"
• Hurricane Florence 2018 storm
• Florence Cassell character on BBC's "Death in Paradise"

International Variations of the name Florence

• Blathnaid Irish
• Florentia German
• Floriana Spanish
• Fiorentina Italian
• Florinia Spanish
• Florencita Spanish
• Florencia Spanish
• Fiorenza Italian