From the experts:
Florence, which has been neglected for decades, 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 hot group 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. It is a stylish and popular name in the UK today.
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.
16 names similar to Florence
These 16 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Florence. If you didn't find an alternative name that you like better than Florence, try our name generator. It allows you to go beyond the similarities of a name, which can provide a lot of inspiration!
Lists containing Florence
Florence in Blog Posts
Popularity
Florence is #93 on Nameberry |
|---|
Comments
clairels Says:
Daiseymae Says:
I use to dislike this name, but now I really like this name.
ShiningMoon Says:
At first I hated this name but now it's one of my favorites!
ghostboy Says:
I adore Florence, for either sex but especially for a boy. It has always struck me as a bit masculine (à la Terrence, Laurence, & Clarence), and I never really understood why it’s not considered unisex since there have been quite a few male Florence’s.
kat_amanda Says:
My beautiful daughters name. She is Florence Ivy. We call her Flo. So sweet and suits her perfectly
KaiLun Says:
Yeah, my first thought when I heard Florence was Lawrence of Arabia so I think of it more as a male name. However, I can also see this as a girl's name especially with a nickname Flora. I think Florence should be a unisex name.
priviledgedpistachios Says:
I'm crushing on the combo Florence Isabella rn. I love Ren as a nickname for Florence as well as Flo
paulapuddephatt Says:
Beautiful, especially with the Florence Nightingale association
Carol Says:
i love Florence-nn-Flora. my grandmother was Florence but i was thinking of Flora as an alternative, maybe i'll do what you did :)
priviledgedpistachios Says:
I love this name so much! I could totally see it on a future daughter! Possibly with a little sister Rosalind!
cabosanmucus Says:
I think the name is lovely and sweet already, even vintage, but Florence Welch gives it so much grace and elegance!
Essa Says:
I've always though of Laurence as quite feminine sounding and the adding flower feeling of Florence makes it seem super girly to me. Strange how people names so differently.
Essa Says:
How about Ren as a nickname?
Essa Says:
I find this very surprising. It's number 26 in the UK, which I'm gutted about!
RoddyThlayli Says:
I would use this as a boy's name, too.
MarauderWitch Says:
I know a baby girl named Florence Ruby and she is the sweetest thing! I love the name, particularly because it's so important to the family since her parents met in Florence and it's such a dear city to them.
headintheclouds Says:
Florence has a positive association in my mind for being the name of strong inspirational women, as I think of Florence Nightingale, and one of my favorite artists Florence Welch of Florence+The Machine. Aesthetically/phonetically, I don't quite love the name, but I like the idea behind it, and the great associations.
summersnow Says:
I love Flora but I really don't like Florence. I think it's kind of dated, and Flora is a more modern equivalent of Florence. It sounds and works better nowadays, I think.
ispyabrownbair Says:
I think it's a gorgeous name and definitely a fantastic reason to use it! :)
emmie113 Says:
This is the name of my darling, beloved, sweetheart of a great-grandmother. I'm actually really surprised that it isn't in the top 1,000 yet, but glad because that might give me a chance to use it. All it'll take is the right movie or TV show to make it soar into popularity. Fingers crossed that doesn't happen yet. I adore the nickname Florrie, though it's lovely on its own.
indiefendi2 Says:
Florian is a boy's name but Florence? I don't see it.
DearestJules Says:
I agree Florence is more masculine than Flora, but personally I like it better because I have a thing for masculine-sounding names on girls. I like Laurence too, on both genders.
gwensight Says:
I just named my daughter Florence- but we will always use Flora as her name. Florence is just nice as a more formal name- it seems to have more weight, or gravitas, that could be useful when she is older.
LowSlash Says:
Funny you say that, I have Laurence on my unisex list (I love it as a mn for a girl), but I don't like Florence at all for either sex.
Everild Says:
I admit that I've never quite liked this name for a girl. Phonetically speaking, it's one letter away from being the ever-masculine Laurence. Not only that, but there is the ancient, Florence, son of Gawain reference (from the Arthurian tales) to consider. As well as Florence's consistent use as a boy name throughout history, right up until around about 1914 and, even now, it's still used quite commonly as a name for boys in West Cork.
While not a bad name for girls, I personally think it leans more towards the masculine side of the spectrum. As such, for a daughter, I would be wary of this choice and would much rather consider the ever-feminine Flora instead.
faithnamer Says:
Nice name, but I like Flora better.
BethAshley Says:
Such a pretty name, and great association with Florence Nightingale.
Daily Delivery
Exclusive Nameberry picks, direct to you.
Depending on how destructive the storm is, this name may go into hiding for a while.