Florence

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Girl or boy · Latin

Florence

Say it: FLOR-unss

Try it with your surname

Meaning

From Latin Florentius and Florentia, from florens 'flourishing'.

Certainscholars agree on this meaning.

Used in medieval England for both men and women; its later popularity as a girls' name owes much to Florence Nightingale.

Its wave through time

Fading since the 1890s

In the United States

337,547 babies given this name since 1880
At its height in 1898, about 1 in 68 girls
354 babies in 2020

Through the ages

Used by

English French Irish American Latin

The family of the name

Other spellings: Florentia, Florens

Latin	Florentius
Italian	Fiorenza
French	Florence
Latin	Florentia
Spanish	Florencia

Famous bearers

Florence of Worcester, chronicler
Florence Nightingale, nursing pioneer

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ValeriaGirlFrom the Roman family name Valerius, from valere 'to be strong'.Rome · peak 2009

Where this comes from

Medieval European charters and records
National census records of the 19th and 20th centuries
United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source

Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.

Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.