Florence
Florence was the 391st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 796 babies. Its best year was 1890, when it ranked 6th; the most babies were born in 1918 (11,318). Over the last ten years it has moved up 787 places. More babies were named Florence in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning flourishing, blooming · Latin
Say it FLOR-uns /ˈflɔrəns/
- Rank in 2025
- #391 girls, up 372 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 796girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 191811,318 babies
- Total since 1880
- 340,547babies recorded
What does the name Florence mean?
Florence comes from Latin Florentia, from florens, "flowering, flourishing", the feminine of the Roman name Florentius; DMNES glosses it "blooming, flowery" and records it in England from 1553. Wiktionary notes that Florence was also once a man's name. Its great popularity for girls followed Florence Nightingale, who was named after her birthplace, the Italian city of Florence.
flōrēns (Latin, “flowering, flourishing”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Flora, Florencia, Flo, Florian.
See also: Latin names, names that mean flower.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Florence', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources (ed. S. L. Uckelman), Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Florence', DMNES, Durham University
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'Florence', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
Nicknames for Florence
The usual nicknames for Florence are Flo, Flossie and Florrie.
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are girls given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Florences go by each one.
Florence popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 1,454 since 1880.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #391 | 796 |
| 2020 | #763 | 357 |
| 2010 | #2,461 | 76 |
| 2000 | #2,520 | 60 |
| 1990 | #1,448 | 108 |
| 1980 | #978 | 152 |
| 1970 | #558 | 331 |
| 1960 | #356 | 738 |
| 1950 | #190 | 1,445 |
| 1940 | #100 | 2,467 |
| 1930 | #38 | 5,867 |
| 1920 | #16 | 10,731 |
| 1910 | #12 | 4,282 |
| 1900 | #7 | 3,920 |
| 1890 | #6 | 2,744 |
| 1880 | #14 | 1,063 |
How popular is Florence, counting every spelling?
Florence is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #412 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #391 for Florence on its own. Together these spellings went to 801 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florence | 796 | #391 | 2,973 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Florence?
796 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Florence (0.22 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Florence born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 11 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Florence.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Florence?
About 42,200 people born in the US named Florence are alive today, with a median age of 75; half are between 59 and 85. That makes Florence a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Florence by state
How common Florence was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Oregon (3.4×), Utah (2.8×), Minnesota (2.6×), Colorado (2.4×), Washington (2.2×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Connecticut, Nevada, Arkansas.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Florence: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Florence, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Florence · Sibling names for Florence
Questions about the name Florence
What does Florence mean?
Florence means “flourishing, blooming” (Latin origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Florence?
Florence was the 391st most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 796 babies. Its best year was 1890, when it ranked 6th; the most babies were born in 1918 (11,318). Over the last ten years it has moved up 787 places. More babies were named Florence in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Florence a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Florence in the US.
Where is Florence most popular?
In 2021–2025, Florence was most common in Oregon (1.26 per 1,000 girls), followed by District of Columbia and Utah.