Flo

Meaning & origin

No verified etymology recorded for this name yet — the entries below are drawn from usage statistics and the name graph.

Attested across 9 languages in the etymology graph.

Languages●

Language is read off each record's context, not declared by the bearer; a share is of all records for this spelling.

Other names spelled this way◐

Flo is also recorded as 5 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• French given name33K records spelled Flo8 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in France, United States, Italy, Belgium

  Also written Flo', Flö, Flõ, Flô, Fló

• German given name15K records spelled Flo11 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Germany, Austria, United States, Switzerland

  Languages: German, English

  Also written Floe, Flö, Floee, Flô, Flöe

• Spanish given name11K records spelled Flo12 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Argentina, United States, Chile, Uruguay

  Languages: Spanish, Portuguese

  Also written Fló, Flö, Flô, Flò, Flõ

• a separate given name1.6K records spelled Flo4 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, United Kingdom, Canada

  Also written Flò, Flô, Fló

• Hindi given name426 records spelled Flo3 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, India, United Kingdom

  Languages: Hindi, Urdu

  Also written Flò

60 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●

Flo is also recorded in 6 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• English: short form of FLORENCE and FLORA , common in the early part of the 20th century, but now widely considered somewhat old-fashioned (in contrast to most other short forms in - o , e.g. Jo).

  as a word

• In Romansh, alternative form of flad (“breath (of air)”)

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• In enm, An arrow, especially one used with a long bow (projectile weapon emitted from a bow)

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• In Swedish, Flo distrikt (a district of Sweden)

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• In Norwegian Nynorsk, a horizontal layer

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• In Latin, to breathe, blow

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Over time●

US SSA — National Baby Names (1880–present) — 85 years between 1881–2024. One register's own figures, never a sum across registers: two registers counting the same people would double them.

Notable people with this name●

• Florence Hartb. 1893USnot in their usual nameAmerican actress (1893-1960)
• Flo Bertb. 1898USAmerican actress, singer (1898-1981)
• Flo Ayresb. 1923USAmerican actress
• Flo Gibsonb. 1924USVoice Actor (1924-2011)
• Flo Steinbergb. 1939USpublisher
• Flo Hymanb. 1954USAmerican volleyball player (1954-1986)
• Flo McGarrellb. 1974USAmerican artist, filmmaker and writer (1974-2010)
• Flo Ankahb. 1983FRFrench Voice Chanteuse/Actress Floanne in NYC
• Flo Kasearub. 1985EEEstonian artist (born 1985)
• Flo Gennarob. 1991ARfashion model

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

Evidence●

Register rows as of the 2026-09-12 data build · 170 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name Flo?

We estimate roughly 1.8 thousand people bear Flo (counting its spellings and scripts) across 5 countries in our records.

In which country does Flo have the most bearers?

We estimate about 1.5 thousand people bear Flo in the United States, more than in any other country in our records, where it is most often spelled flo.

Is Flo a male or female name?

Flo is recorded for both men and women. We don't publish a percentage split: a record's gender belongs to the person and is attached to every given name on that record, so names in cultures where a name string also carries a parent's or spouse's given name pick up large cross-gender counts.