Florence

Spellings & scripts●

Locally spelled Флоренция in RU Russia.

Spellings marked ● are how people bearing the name write it in our records; ○ marks a model's transliteration. Click a spelling to open its page.

Meaning & origin●

Attested across 16 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◐

Florence is also recorded as 6 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• Spanish given name1.2M records spelled Florence101 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Argentina, France, United States, Brazil

  Languages: Spanish, French, Portuguese

  Also written Florencia, Florenca, Fleurance, Ფლორენცია, Florencía

• Swahili given name174K records spelled Florence9 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Kenya, United States, Nigeria, South Africa

  Languages: Swahili, Southern Sotho, Kinyarwanda

  Also written Florençe, Flórence, Firenze

• a separate given name21K records spelled Florence2 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, United Kingdom, India, Canada

  Also written Flórence

• Indonesian given name9.4K records spelled Florence5 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Indonesia, Malaysia, United States, Philippines

  Languages: Indonesian, Malay

  Also written Firenze, Florênce, Florençe

• Finnish given name4.5K records spelled Florence6 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Finland, Hungary, United States, Nigeria

  Languages: Finnish, Hungarian, Estonian

  Also written Firenze

• Greek given name2.9K records spelled Florence18 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Greece, United States, Netherlands, Cyprus

  Languages: Greek, English, Western Frisian

  Also written Florentia, Φλωρεντια, Φλωρεντία, Φλορενς, Florentía

79 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●

Florence is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• In English, Lat Florentius, Florentia from florens ‘blooming’, and also from Florence (Italy); first attested Florentius 1130–2 Seals (St)

  as a name·A Dictionary of English Surnames

• In English, ‘flowering one’; used in Ireland for Fineen, Fitheal and Flann, and as female for Blathnaid.

  as a name·Irish first names

• In French, From Latin Florentia, from florens ‘flourishing; blooming’.

  as a name·Le grand guide des prénoms (Enfant - Education)

• In English, name Florence, used by both sexes (L Florentius (masc.) and Florentia (fern.), derivs. of Florens\ see Florent). Both names were borne by several early Christian martyrs, but in the Middle Ages the masc. name was far more com¬ mon. 2. local name for someone from Florence in Italy, originally named in L as Florentia. Vars.: Fr.: Florance, Fleurance. Patrs. (from i): It.: De Florio. Rum.: Florescu.

  as a name·The Oxford Names Companion - The definitive guide to Surnames, First Names, and Place Names of the British Isles

• From Latin. See main dictionary. Masculine form: Florent.

  as a name·A concise dictionary of first names

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) — 146 years between 1880–2025. 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 Nightingaleb. 1820FREnglish social reformer, statistician, and founder of modern nursing (1820–1910)
• Florence Foster Jenkinsb. 1868USAmerican soprano, renowned for her lack of musical skill and singing ability (1868–1944)
• Vera Rubinb. 1928USnot in their usual nameAmerican astronomer and physicist (1928-2016)
• Anouk Aiméeb. 1932FRnot in their usual nameFrench actress (1932–2024)
• Florence Griffith-Joynerb. 1959USAmerican track and field athlete (1959-1998)
• Florence Parlyb. 1963FRFrench politician
• Elsa Zylbersteinb. 1968FRnot in their usual nameFrench actress
• Florence Kasumbab. 1976DEUgandan-German actress
• Florence Welchb. 1986GBBritish singer (born 1986)
• Florence Pughb. 1996GBBritish actress (born 1996)

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 · 1,209 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name Florence?

We estimate roughly 223 thousand people bear Florence (counting its spellings and scripts) across 11 countries in our records.

In which country does Florence have the most bearers?

We estimate about 148 thousand people bear Florence in France, more than in any other country in our records.

Where is Florence most common?

Florence is densest in France, where the national register counts about 1 in 458 people carrying it.

How common is Florence compared with other names?

In Nigeria, Florence is the 127th most common given name of 146,224 given names recorded there.

Is Florence a male or female name?

Florence is a female name in our records. Opposite-gender entries fall within the cross-gender noise we measure in the source data, so we don't report them as usage.

What does the name Florence mean?

Recorded meaning: (i) from the personal name Florence, ultimately from Latin florens ‘flowering’; (ii) person from Florence, Italy.