Contribute your knowledge to the name Florence

Comments and insights on the name Florence

I love this name but I think it might be too "grand" for a baby girl. I'd use it as a middle name.

Baby girls become women. Women have to be confident and strong to make it.

She could be called Flo or Florrie as a child.

Personal experiences with the name Florence

My maternal great-grandmother was named Florence Belle. Her sisters were Edith, Nancy and Margaret. Her husband was Charles. Her children were Jesse, Roberta and Dale (girls) and Joseph, James, Harold, Herbert, and Keith (boys).
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What a coincidence! My maternal grandmother's name was Florence Belle as well! She was a beautiful woman with bright red hair, and a knack for linguistics (I loved it when she read Dr. Seuss's "Fox in Socks" to me as a child). She was a missionary in both China and Japan and lived a fruitful, godly life. She was well-loved by everyone who knew her. Her husband's name was Art and she had six children (Carol, Bob, Rick, Aileen, Joy, Loren).

I named my daughter this in 2014 and I think it's a beautiful, strong name that can be taken seriously while retaining its femininity. It has the classic appeal of names like Emma, Amelia, and Sarah without being super common. I really hope she grows up liking it as much as my husband and I do.

Nicknames for Florence

Flo, Flossie, Florrie, Flora, Ren, Floxy, Lennie, Lori

Meanings and history of the name Florence

From the Italian city, heart of the Renaissance. This name became popular due to the fame of Florence Nightingale, who was born in Florence and named for the city of her birth. (She had a sister named Parthenope, the ancient name for the city of Naples, where she was born.)

It is also from the latin for "blooming".

Famous real-life people named Florence

Florence Nightingale, English nurse and reformer
Florence Henderson, American actress and singer
Florence Ballard, American singer and member of the Supremes
Florence Kling Harding, First Lady and wife of Warren G. Harding
Florence King, American author
Florence Mills, American actress of the Harlem Renaissance period
Florence Welch, lead singer of Florence + The Machine
Florence Lawrence, American silent film actress and (arguably) America's first "movie star"
Florence Rose Endellion Cameron (b. 2010), daughter of British politician David Cameron

Florence in song, story & screen

Florence Johnson, maid from the TV series "The Jeffersons", played by Marla Gibbs
Florence + The Machine, British band