Florence is an androgynous French and English given name. It is derived from the French version of (Saint) ''Florentia'', a Roman martyr under Diocletian. The Latin ''florens, florentius'' means "blossoming", verb ''floreo'', meaning "I blossom / I flower / I flourish". Florence was in olden times also used as a translation of the Latin version Florentius, and may be used in this context as a male given name. A notable increase use of the name came in the aftermath of

Florence Nightingale Florence Nightingale (; 12 May 1820 – 13 August 1910) was an English social reformer, statistician and the founder of modern nursing. Nightingale came to prominence while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses during the Crimean War, i ...

, a nurse in British hospitals during the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included t ...

and is usually considered the founder of modern nursing. She was given the name because she was born in

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico ...

, Italy. Contrary to popular belief, Nightingale was not the first person to be given this given name in the English speaking world. The wife of Richard de Wylughby, of London, was Florence, in 1349 A later example was Florence Wrey (d.1718), wife of John Cole of the Irish County of Fermanagh (married in 1707), who was herself named after her mother, Florence Rolle, the wife of Sir Bourchier Wrey, 4th Baronet (c. 1653–1696) of

Tawstock Tawstock is a village, civil parish and former Manorialism, manor in North Devon in the English county of Devon, England. The parish is surrounded clockwise from the north by the parishes of Barnstaple, Bishop's Tawton, Atherington, Devon, Athe ...

, Devon, and the daughter of Sir John Rolle (d.1706) of

Stevenstone Stevenstone is a former manor within the parish of St Giles in the Wood, near Great Torrington, North Devon. It was the chief seat of the Rolle family, one of the most influential and wealthy of Devon families, from c. 1524 until 1907. The ...

, by his wife and distant cousin Florence Rolle (1630–1705), an even earlier Florence, the daughter and heiress of Denys Rolle (1614–1638), of Stevenstone and Bicton in Devon. This name is also of note because John Cole built a large mansion in Northern Ireland which he named

Florence Court Florence Court is a large 18th-century house and estate located 8 miles south-west of Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is set in the foothills of Cuilcagh Mountain. The nearby village is distinguished by the one-word name Fl ...

after his wife. One of John Cole's descendants, who had become "Lord Enniskillen", planted a peculiarly upright yew tree in the grounds of Florence Court, which was to become the mother tree of all Irish Yews or "Florence Court Yews". Florencia, a Spanish version, is among the most popular names for baby girls in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, t ...

and

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

. Florence was most popular in the United States between 1900 and 1940, when it was in the top 100 names given to baby girls. The name last ranked in the top 1,000 names given to baby girls in the 1970s. Florence was the fourth most popular name given to baby girls in

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is ...

, Canada in 2007 and the name has also risen in popularity in

England and Wales England and Wales () is one of the three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. The substantive law of the jurisdiction is ...

, where it was the 109th most popular name given to baby girls in 2007.

Name variants

Alternate forms include: *Florance (English) *Florentine (German) *Fiorentina, Fiorenza (Italian) *Florencia, Florencita, Floriana, Florinia (Spanish) *Flóra (Hungarian) English nicknames for Florence include Flo, Florrie and Flossie.

Florent Florent is a French version of the Latin personal name Florentius. It is also used as a surname. People with the first name * Florent Avdyli (born 1993), Kosovan footballer *Florent Aziri (born 1988), Kosovan-German footballer *Florent Hadergjona ...

and

Florenz Florenz may refer to: * Florenz Regalado (born 1928), Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines * Florenz Ziegfeld (1867–1932), American Broadway impresario * Karl-Heinz Florenz (born 1947), German Member of the European Parliamen ...

are masculine equivalents. Florence itself has also been used for boys (Latin ''Florentius''), particularly in Ireland where it was used as an anglicisation of Irish Finnian or Flaithrí.Patricia Hanks and Flavia Hodges, ''A Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press 1990

Notable people

;Women *

Florence Auer Florence Auer (March 3, 1880 – May 14, 1962) was an American theater and motion picture actress whose career spanned more than five decades. Life and career Born in Albany, New York, Auer began her career on East Coast stages at the turn ...

(1880–1962), American actress * Florence Austin (1884–1927), American violinist *

Florence Balgarnie Florence Balgarnie (19 August 1856 – 25 March 1928) was a British suffragette, speaker, pacifist, feminist, and temperance activist. Characterised as a "staunch Liberal", and influenced by Lydia Becker, Balgarnie began her support of women's ...

(1856–1928), British suffragette, speaker, pacifist, feminist, temperance activist *

Florence Ballard Florence Glenda Chapman (''née'' Ballard; June 30, 1943 – February 22, 1976) was an American singer and a founding member of the Motown vocal female group the Supremes. She sang on 16 top 40 singles with the group, including ten number-o ...

(1943–1976), African-American singer *

Florence Bascom Florence Bascom (July 14, 1862 – June 18, 1945) was an American pioneer for women as a geologist and educator. Bascom became an anomaly in the 19th century when she earned two bachelor's degrees. Earning a Bachelor of Arts in 1882, and a Bachelo ...

(1862–1945), American geologist *

Florence Beaumont This is a list of notable people who committed suicide by setting themselves on fire for political reasons. Non-political self-immolations are not included in the list. List Before 1900 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s ...

(died 1967), one of eight Americans known to have set themselves on fire in protest of the Vietnam War *

Florence Blatrix-Contat Florence Blatrix-Contat (born 30 March 1966) is a French politician from the Socialist Party. She was elected Senator for Ain Ain (, ; frp, En) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Eastern France. Named after the Ain ...

(born 1966), French politician *

Florence Brenzikofer Florence Brenzikofer (born 15 April 1975 in Binningen, Switzerland, Binningen, Basel-Landschaft) is a politician of the Green Party of Switzerland who has been a member of the National Council (Switzerland), National Council since 2019. Career Br ...

(born 1975), Swiss politician *

Florence V. Brittingham Florence V. Brittingham (, Shearer; November 15, 1856 – April 26, 1891) was an American poet and short story writer. She met with some success in writing for various periodicals, though she was quite occupied with helping her husband in his pas ...

(1856–1891), American poet, short story writer *

Florence Bjelke-Petersen Florence Isabel Bjelke-Petersen (née Gilmour; 11 August 1920 – 20 December 2017) was an Australian politician and writer. She was a member of the Australian Senate from 1981 to 1993, and was the wife of the longest-serving Premier of Queensl ...

(1920–2017), politician, writer and wife of the longest serving premier

Joh Bjelke-Petersen Sir Johannes Bjelke-Petersen (13 January 191123 April 2005), known as Joh Bjelke-Petersen, was a conservative Australian politician. He was the longest-serving and longest-lived premier of Queensland, holding office from 1968 to 1987, during ...

Florence Caddy Florence Caddy (1837 – 9 July 1923) was an English non-fiction writer from Middlesex. She wrote the first book on household management to become well known. Family She was born in Middlesex (now part of London) in 1837, as Florence Tompson. S ...

(1837–1923), English writer * Florence Loiret Caille (born 1975), French actress *

Florence Anderson Clark Florence Anderson Clark (, Anderson; June 10, 1835 – March 19, 1918) was an American author, newspaper editor, librarian, and university administrator. She served for 14 years as assistant librarian at the University of Texas (UT), and in honor ...

(1835–1918), American author, newspaper editor, librarian, university dean * Florence Abigail Cowles (1878-1958), American cookbook author and journalist *

Florence Avalon Daggett Florence Avalon Daggett (1907–2002) was an American filmmaker and philanthropist. She is associated with Avalon Daggett Productions, a film production company based in Los Angeles which specialized in short documentary films, and educational f ...

(1907–2002), American filmmaker *

Florence Daysh Florence Daysh, OBE (1908–1979) was a Barbadian social worker and politician. In 1954, she was appointed to the Legislative Council of Barbados and then in 1958, she was elected to serve in the West Indies Federation, one of only two women. In ...

(1908–1979), Barbadian social worker and politician *

Florence Delay Florence Delay (born 19 March 1941 in Paris) is a French academician and actress. Biography The daughter of Marie-Madeleine Carrez and Jean Delay, Delay studied at the Lycée Jean de La Fontaine and then the Sorbonne. In 1962, she played the tit ...

(born 1941), French actress * Florence Eid-Oakden, Lebanese-British economist *

Florence Eiseman Florence Feinberg Eiseman (1899-1988) was an American fashion designer specializing in children's clothing. She launched the Florence Eiseman childrenswear business in 1945, which became one of Wisconsin's leading fashion brands. Biography Flore ...

(1899–1988), American children's clothing designer *

Florence Eshalomi Florence Dauta Eshalomi (''née'' Nosegbe; born 18 September 1980) is a British Labour and Co-operative politician serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) representing Vauxhall since 2019. She previously served as the Member of the London Asse ...

(born 1980), British politician *

Florence Ezeh Florence Edem Apefa Ezeh (born December 29, 1977 in Lomé) is a female hammer thrower from Togo, who previously represented France during her career. She set her personal best (68.03 metres) on August 9, 2002 at the European Championships in Munich ...

(born 1977), French-Togolese hammer thrower * Florence Faivre (born 1983), Thai actress and model * Florence Fang (born 1933/1934), American businesswoman, publisher and philanthropist * Florence Magruder Gilmore (1881-1945), American author *

Florence Hackett Florence Hackett (née Florence Hart) (January 1882 – August 21, 1954) was an American film actress in the silent era. She was allegedly married to veteran film star Arthur V. Johnson, reputedly D.W. Griffith's favorite actor. Previously she ...

(1884–1954), American silent film actress *

Florence Harding Florence Mabel Harding (née Kling; August 15, 1860 – November 21, 1924) was the first lady of the United States from 1921 until her husband's death in 1923 as the wife of President Warren G. Harding. Florence first married Pete De Wolfe ...

(1860–1924), wife of American president Warren G. Harding *

Florence Hay Florence Hay (died May 24, 1982) was an All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player.Florence Hay< ...

, American baseball player *

Florence Henderson Florence Agnes Henderson (February 14, 1934 – November 24, 2016) was an American actress. With a career spanning six decades, she is best known for her starring role as Carol Brady on the ABC sitcom '' The Brady Bunch''. Henderson also appear ...

(1934–2016), American actress and singer * Florence Hoath (born 1984), British actress * Florence Sally Horner, the child whose kidnapping inspired and is referenced in Vladimir Nabokov's novel ''Lolita'' * Florence Frances Huberwald, American singer, teacher, suffragist, national leader of the women's movement *

Florence Hunt Florence Hunt (born 2 February 2007) is an English actress. She is known for her role as Hyacinth, the eighth Bridgerton child, in the Netflix period drama '' Bridgerton'' (2020–). She was named a 2024 ''Screen International'' Star of Tomorrow ...

(born 2007), English actress * Florence Huntley (1861–1912), American journalist, editor, humorist, occult author *

Florence Carpenter Ives Florence Carpenter Ives (, Carpenter; March 10, 1854 – December 20, 1900) was an American journalist and editor. She served as editor of the woman's department of the ''Metropolitan and Rural Home'' and was in charge of all the press work sent o ...

(1854–1900), American journalist * Florence Foster Jenkins (1868–1944), American soprano * Florence Fuller (1867–1946), Australian artist *

Florence Johnston The television series '' The Jeffersons'' featured several supporting characters. An incomplete list of these characters appears below. Willis family Helen Willis Helen Willis (née Douglas) (portrayed by Roxie Roker, except for her first appea ...

, fictional character on the TV series ''The Jeffersons'' and ''Checking In'' *

Florence Griffith Joyner Florence Delorez Griffith Joyner (born Florence Delorez Griffith; December 21, 1959 – September 21, 1998), also known as Flo-Jo, was an American track and field athlete. She set world records in 1988 for the 100 m and 200 m. During the late ...

(1959–1998), American athlete in track and field *

Florence Kelley Florence Moltrop Kelley (September 12, 1859 – February 17, 1932) was a social and political reformer and the pioneer of the term wage abolitionism. Her work against sweatshops and for the minimum wage, eight-hour day, eight-hour workdays, and c ...

(1859–1932), American social reformist and feminist *

Florence King Florence Virginia King (January 5, 1936 – January 6, 2016) was an American novelist, essayist and columnist. While her early writings focused on the American South and those who live there, much of King's later work was published in ''Natio ...

(1936–2016), Mississippi author *

Florence Knapp (supercentenarian) American supercentenarians are citizens or residents of the United States who have attained or surpassed 110 years of age. , the Gerontology Research Group (GRG) had validated the longevity claims of 782 American supercentenarians. As of , it lis ...

(1873–1988), American supercentenarian * Florence E.S. Knapp (1875–1949), American politician * Florence Knight, British chef and columnist *

Florence E. Kollock Florence E. Kollock (after marriage, Florence Kollock-Crooker; January 19, 1848 – April 21, 1925) was an American Universalist minister and lecturer. She organized and served as pastor of the Stewart Avenue Universalist Church (now known as the ...

(1848-1925), American Universalist minister and lecturer *

Florence LaBadie Florence La Badie (born Florence Russ; April 27, 1888 – October 13, 1917) was an American-Canadian actress in the early days of the silent film era. She was a major star between 1911 and 1917. Her career was at its height when she died a ...

(1888–1917), Canadian silent movie actress *

Florence Lawrence Florence Lawrence (born Florence Annie Bridgwood; January 2, 1886 – December 28, 1938) was a Canadian-American stage performer and film actress. She is often referred to as the "first movie star", and was thought to be the first film actor to ...

(1890–1938), inventor and actress, referred to as "The First Movie Star" *

Florence Littauer Florence Littauer (née Chapman; April 27, 1928 – July 11, 2020) was an American Christian self-help author and public speaker. Littauer is best known for her series of books based upon the Personality Plus personality system. She was listed ...

(1928–2020), American writer and public speaker *

Florence Marly Florence Marly (2 June 1919 – 9 November 1978) was a Czech-born French film actress. During World War II, Marly moved to neutral Argentina with her Jewish husband, film director Pierre Chenal, where she appeared in several films. She also acted ...

(1919–1978), Czech film and television actress *

Florence Mills Florence Mills (born Florence Winfrey; January 25, 1896 – November 1, 1927), billed as the "Queen of Happiness", was an American cabaret singer, dancer, and comedian. Life and career Florence Mills (Florence Winfrey) was born a daughter of for ...

(1896–1927), actress in 1920s black theatre and the Harlem Renaissance * Florence Newton (fl. 1661), Irish alleged witch *

(1820–1910), pioneer of modern nursing *

Florence Sillers Ogden Florence Carson Sillers Ogden (October 2, 1891 – June 23, 1971) was an American newspaper columnist, socialite, conservative political activist, and segregationist. She wrote the column ''Dis 'n' Dat'' for the ''Delta Democrat Times'' in Green ...

(1891–1971), American columnist, segregationist, and white supremacist *

Florence Price Florence Beatrice Price (née Smith; April 9, 1887 – June 3, 1953) was an American classical composer, pianist, organist and music teacher. Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, Price was educated at the New England Conservatory of Music, and was acti ...

(1887–1953), African-American composer and teacher * Florence Provendier (born 1965), French politician *

Florence Pugh Florence Pugh ( ; born 3 January 1996) is an English actress. She made her acting debut in 2014 in the drama film '' The Falling''. Pugh gained recognition in 2016 for her leading role as a young bride in the independent drama ''Lady Macbeth' ...

, (born 1996), English actress *

Florence Marjorie Robertson Dame Florence Marjorie Wilcox (''née'' Robertson; 20 October 1904 – 3 June 1986), known professionally as Anna Neagle, was an English stage and film actress, singer, and dancer. She was a successful box-office draw in the British cinema ...

(1904–1986), British actress and singer *

Florence Sabin Florence Rena Sabin (November 9, 1871 – October 3, 1953) was an American medical scientist. She was a pioneer for women in science; she was the first woman to hold a full professorship at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, the first woman ...

(1871–1953), anatomist and pathologist, first female professor at Johns Hopkins Medical School *

Florence Senanayake Daisy Maria Florence Senanayake (née Mendis) (19 June 1903 - 3 December 1988) was the first female Member of Parliament in Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon). Daisy Maria Florence Mendis was born on 19 June 1903 into a family of eight children in R ...

(1903-1988), Sri Lankan Sinhala MP for Kiriella * Florence Wells Slater (1864–1941), American entomologist and schoolteacher *

Florence Stephens Florence Elisabet Stephens (5 October 1881 – 2 April 1979) was a wealthy Swedish landowner, known as ''Fröken på Huseby'' ("the Lady of Huseby") for her estate at Huseby. She was the main figure in the Huseby Affair ( sv, Husebyskandalen, "Hu ...

(1881–1979), landholder and the main figure of the Huseby court case *

Florence Sulman Florence Sulman (13 January 1876–15 June 1965) was an English-Australian author and educationalist. Life and work Sulman was born in Bromley, England on 13 January 1876. She was the eldest daughter of John Sulman and Sarah Clarke. She atten ...

(1876–1965), English-Australian author and educationalist *

Florence M. Sullivan Florence M. Sullivan (January 20, 1930 – June 21, 2020) was an American lawyer and politician from New York who served in the New York State Assembly from the 50th district from 1979 to 1983. Life She was born Florence Grady on January 20, 1930 ...

(1930–2020), New York politician * Florence Trail (1854–1944), American educator, writer *

Florence Turner Florence Turner (January 6, 1885 – August 28, 1946) was an American actress who became known as the "Vitagraph Girl" in early silent films. Biography Born in New York City, Turner was pushed into appearing on the stage at age three by h ...

(1885–1946), American actress *

Florence Signaigo Wagner Florence Signaigo Wagner (February 18, 1919 – October 21, 2019) was an American botanist who served as president of the American Fern Society. Biography Florence Signaigo was born in Birmingham, Michigan, on February 18, 1919 and grew up in H ...

(1919–2019), American botanist who served as president of the American Fern Society * Florence Warfield Sillers (1869–1958), American historian and socialite *

Florence Welch Florence Leontine Mary Welch (born 28 August 1986) is an English singer, the lead vocalist and primary songwriter of the indie rock band Florence and the Machine. The band's debut studio album, ''Lungs'' (2009), topped the UK Albums Chart and wo ...

(born 1986), British singer and frontwoman of indie rock band Florence and the Machine * Florence Duval West (1840–1881), American poet *

Florence Hull Winterburn Florence Hull Winterburn (June 8, 1858 – ?) was an American author and editor. She was the author of ''Nursery Ethics'', 1895, 1899; ''From the Child's Standpoint'', 1859; ''Southern Hearts'' (short stories), 1901; and ''The Children's Health'' ...

(1858–?), American author, editor *

Florence Wyman-Richardson Florence Wyman Richardson (March 24, 1855August 19, 1920) was one of the early workers for the St. Louis Symphony Society and assisted in organizing the St. Louis Equal Suffrage League. Youth Florence Wyman was born on March 24, 1855, in St. Loui ...

(1855–1920), American suffragist * Flo Greaves - PAVO ;Men *

Florence of Worcester Florence of Worcester (died 1118), known in Latin as Florentius, was a monk of Worcester, who played some part in the production of the ''Chronicon ex chronicis'', a Latin world chronicle which begins with the creation and ends in 1140.Keynes, "Fl ...

(died 1118), medieval chronicler *

Florance Broadhurst Florance Constantine Broadhurst (1861–1909) was a 19th-century Western Australian businessman who is most notable for successfully taking over the management of a number of business ventures of his ill-fortuned, yet extremely creative and hard- ...

(1861–1909), West Australian businessman *

Florence Hensey Florence Hensey (also Henchy, Henzy; ) was an Irish physician, and a spy for France during the Seven Years' War. Life Hensey was born in Kildare about 1714, a son of Florence Henchey of Ballycumeen, County Clare, and his wife Mary; the couple had ...

(), Irish-born French spy * Florence Wilson (1504-1546/7), Scottish humanist

References

{{given name English feminine given names

Name variants

Notable people

See also

References