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Pronunciation | /ˈflɒrəns/ French: [flɔ.ʁɑ̃s] |
---|---|
Gender | usually Female rarely Male |
Origin | |
Word/name | English < French < Latin |
Meaning | blossoming in faith, in belief (mystic name) |
Other names | |
Derived | Latin, verbs florere and florens, and masculine Roman name Florentius |
Related names | Fiorenza, Flo, Florance, Florencia, Florencita, Florentia, Florrie, Floss, Flossie, Flossy, Flora, Florella, Florentina, Florentine, Florian, Florina, Floria, Florinda |
Florence is usually a feminine given name. It is derived from the French version of (Saint) Florentia, a Roman martyr under Diocletian. [1] The Latin florens, florentius means "blossoming", verb floreo, meaning "I blossom / I flower / I flourish". Florence was in the past also used as a translation of the Latin version Florentius, and may be used in this context as a masculine given name.
A notable increased use of the name came in the aftermath of Florence Nightingale, a nurse in British hospitals during the Crimean War and is usually considered the founder of modern nursing. She was given the name because she was born in Florence, 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 [2] 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, Devon, and the daughter of Sir John Rolle (d. 1706) of Stevenstone, [3] 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 after his wife. John Cole's grandson, Lord Mountflorence, 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". [4]
Florencia, a Spanish version, is among the most popular names for baby girls in Argentina and Uruguay. Florence was most popular in the United States between 1900 and 1940, when it was in the top 100 names given to baby girls. It then declined in use for girls after the 1970s but has been increasing in popularity. It has been ranked among the top 1,000 names for newborn American girls since 2017 and ranked in 622nd place on the popularity chart, with 473 uses, in 2022. It was among the 1,000 most popular names for American boys between 1880 and 1914. It then declined in use for boys. The name was given to seven American boys in 2022. [5] [6] The name has ranked among the top 100 names for newborn girls in England and Wales since 2008 and among the top 10 names for girls there since 2021. [7] It was among the top 100 names for newborn girls in New Zealand between 1900 and 1942, after which it declined in use. It has since returned to popularity and has been among the top 100 names for girls there since 2013. It was the 39th most popular name for girls there in 2022. [8] It has been among the too 100 names for newborn girls in New South Wales, Australia since 2016 and among the top 50 names since 2019. [9] Florence was the 30th most popular name for newborn girls in Canada in 2021 and the fourth most popular name given to baby girls in French speaking Quebec, Canada in 2021 [10] [11] It dropped to 35th in Canada in 2022. [12] In Belgium, the name ranked in 180th place on the popularity chart in 2021, a decline from its peak in popularity in 2000 and 2001, when it was among the top 100 names for newborn Belgian girls. [13] In France, the name was among the top 500 names for girls between 1900 and 1992, and at its peak popularity between 1963 and 1973, when it was among the 20 most popular names for French girls. [14]
Alternate forms include:
English nicknames for Florence include Flo, Florrie and Flossie.
Florent and Florenz 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. [15]
Cynthia is a feminine given name of Greek origin: Κυνθία, Kynthía, "from Mount Cynthus" on Delos island. The name has been in use in the Anglosphere since the 17th century. There are various spellings for this name, and it can be abbreviated to Cindy, Cyndi, Cyndy, Cinny, or occasionally to Thea, Tia, or Thia.
Maeve, Meave, Maev or Maiv is a female given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish name Méabh, which was spelt Meadhbh in Early Modern Irish, Meḋḃ or Meaḋḃ in Middle Irish, and Medb in Old Irish. It may derive from a word meaning "she who intoxicates", "mead-woman", or alternatively "she who rules". Medb is a queen in Irish mythology who is thought to have originally been a sovereignty goddess.
Edith is a feminine given name derived from the Old English word ēad, meaning wealth or prosperity, in combination with the Old English gȳð, meaning strife, and is in common usage in this form in English, German, many Scandinavian languages and Dutch. Its French form is Édith. Contractions and variations of this name include Ditte, Dita, and Edie.
Fiona is a feminine given name of Gaelic origins. It means white or fair, while the Irish name Fíona means 'of wine', being the genitive of fíon 'wine'. It was coined by Scottish writer James Macpherson. Initially, the name was confined to Scotland but later it gained popularity in other countries, such as Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Australia, Germany and Canada.
Eden, as a given name is most often given in reference to the Biblical Garden of Eden, meaning delight; It is given to girls and boys. The first recorded use is from ancient Israel in the book of Genesis. As an English girl's name, it also originated as a diminutive form of the name Edith that was in use in Yorkshire in the 1400s. As a boy's name, it might be a variant of the name Aidan or be derived from the surname Eden, which was derived from the Old English word elements ēad, meaning wealth, and hún, meaning bear cub. The older form of the name was Edon or Edun.
Darlene, also spelled Darleen or Darline, is an English feminine given name coined in the late 19th century. It is based on the term of endearment darling in combination with the diminutive suffix -een, -ene, or -ine in use in other names popular during that period such as Arleen, Charlene, Claudine, Irene, Jolene, Josephine, Marlene, Maxine, and Pauline. The greatest use of the name has been in North America. Darla is a variant.
Ruth is a common female given name, noted from Ruth, the eponymous heroine of the eighth book of the Old Testament.
Pearl is a unisex given name derived from the English word pearl, a hard, roundish object produced within the soft tissue of a living, shelled mollusk. Pearls are commonly used in jewelry-making. The name has a history of usage among Jews. Pearl is used as an Anglicization of the Yiddish name Perle. Pearl is also a common Jewish surname. Usage of the name for girls may also have been inspired by the name Margaret, which means "pearl". Pearl came into wider popular use in the Anglosphere along with other gemstone names used for girls during the late Victorian Era.
Shirley is a given name and a surname originating from the English place-name Shirley, which is derived from the Old English elements scire ("shire") or scīr and lēah. The name makes reference to the open space where the moot was held. The surname Shirley became established as a female given name in 1849 due to its use in Charlotte Brontë's novel Shirley, in which the character explains that her parents had intended the family surname for a son. It was further popularized in 1851–52 by its pseudonymous use by California Gold Rush writer Louise Amelia Knapp Smith Clappe. It was eventually brought to its highest popularity, in the 1930s, by the fame of child star Shirley Temple.
Ida is a feminine given name found in Europe and North America. It is popular in Scandinavian countries, where it is pronounced Ee-da.
Crystal is a common English language female given name. Variant forms of the name include Kristal, Krystal, Cristal, Kristel, Krystle and Kristol.
Alethea is an English-language female first name derived from the Ancient Greek feminine noun ἀλήθεια, alḗtheia, 'truth'. Aletheia was the personification of truth in Greek philosophy. Alethea was not in use as a name prior to the 1500s, and likely originated when Puritans started using it as a virtue name.
Flora is a feminine given name of Latin origin meaning flower, ultimately derived from the Latin word flos, which had the genitive florus. Flora was a fertility goddess of flowers and springtime in Ancient Rome.
Isis is a female first name.
Octavia is a feminine given name of Latin origin meaning eight that derives from the Octavia gens.
Clover is a modern given name derived from the common name for the plant, which was ultimately derived from the Old English word clāfre. The name has associations with Ireland and with good fortune due to traditional tales about the Irish shamrock or four-leaf clover. The name has recently increased in usage, a trend that has been attributed to a renewed interest in “cottagecore names” with a vintage sensibility that are rooted in the natural world. The name has ranked among the 1000 most used names for newborn girls in the United States since 2021. It also has ranked among the 1,000 most popular names for newborn girls in Canada since 2021. The name also ranked among the top 1,000 names for newborn girls in England and Wales in 2021, the year it ranked in 918th place on the popularity chart there.
Raya is a given name with multiple, unrelated origins in different cultures.
Lilith is a feminine given name sometimes given in reference to Lilith, a character in Jewish folklore who was said to be the first wife of the first man Adam who disobeyed him, was banished from the Garden of Eden, and who became a mythical she-demon. The mythological tale has inspired modern feminists.
Sloane or Sloan is a given name, a transferred use of the Irish surname O Sluaghadhán, meaning "descendant of Sluaghadhán". Sluaghadhán is an Irish diminutive form of the Irish name Sluaghadh, which means expedition or raid. The name has associations with the Sloane Rangers, a British subculture referring to the tastes and preferences of the stereotypical British upper middle class woman who lived at Sloane Square in West London.
Dulce is a feminine given name.