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Florence (name)
Encyclopedia
Florence is an English
, Italian
or French
given name
for girls. It is derived from the Latin verb floreo, meaning "I flower", in the sense of a blossom. The name is also derived from the Italian
city Firenze
, or Florence, in English.
A notable Florence was Florence Nightingale
, who was 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, Florence Nightingale was not the first person to be given this name. A much earlier example was Florence, wife of John Cole of the Irish County of Fermanagh (married in 1707), who was herself named after her mother, the wife of Sir Bourchier Wrey of Trebitch and the daughter of Sir John Rolle of Stevenstone. This name is also of note because John Cole named his house after his wife "Florence Court". One of John Cole's descendants, who had become "Lord Enniskillen", 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".
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. The name last ranked in the top 1,000 names given to baby girls in the 1970s. Florence was the fourth most popular name given to baby girls in Quebec
, Canada
in 2007 and the name has also risen in popularity in the England and Wales
, where Florence was the 109th most popular name given to baby girls in 2007.
English nicknames for Florence include:
Florian
is a masculine equivalent.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
or French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
given name
Given name
A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...
for girls. It is derived from the Latin verb floreo, meaning "I flower", in the sense of a blossom. The name is also derived from the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
city Firenze
Firenze
Firenze is the Italian name for the city of Florence.Firenze may also refer to:* Andrea da Firenze, an Italian composer* Lorenzo da Firenze, an Italian composer and music teacher of the trecento...
, or Florence, in English.
A notable Florence was Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale OM, RRC was a celebrated English nurse, writer and statistician. She came to prominence for her pioneering work in nursing during the Crimean War, where she tended to wounded soldiers. She was dubbed "The Lady with the Lamp" after her habit of making rounds at night...
, who was a nurse in British hospitals during the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
and is usually considered the founder of modern nursing. She was given the name because she was born in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
Contrary to popular belief, Florence Nightingale was not the first person to be given this name. A much earlier example was Florence, wife of John Cole of the Irish County of Fermanagh (married in 1707), who was herself named after her mother, the wife of Sir Bourchier Wrey of Trebitch and the daughter of Sir John Rolle of Stevenstone. This name is also of note because John Cole named his house after his wife "Florence Court". One of John Cole's descendants, who had become "Lord Enniskillen", 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".
Florencia, a Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
version, is among the most popular names for baby girls in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
and Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
. Florence was most popular in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
between 1900 and 1940, when it was in the top 100 names given to baby girls. The name last ranked in the top 1,000 names given to baby girls in the 1970s. Florence was the fourth most popular name given to baby girls in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 2007 and the name has also risen in popularity in the England and Wales
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, where Florence was the 109th most popular name given to baby girls in 2007.
Name variants
Alternate forms include:- Flo, Flora, Florance, Florella, Florentina, Florentine, Florentyna, Florice, Florina, Florinda, Florine, Floris, Florrance, Florynce (EnglishEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
) - Florentia (GermanGerman languageGerman is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
) - Fiorentina, Fiorenza (ItalianItalian languageItalian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
) - Florencia, Florencita, Floriana, Florinia (SpanishSpanish languageSpanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
)
English nicknames for Florence include:
- Flo, Florie, Florrie, Florry, Floss, Flossey, Flossie, Flossy
Florian
Florian (name)
Florian is a masculine given name derived from the ancient Roman name Florus. It is the name of the patron saint of Poland and Austria.-Masculine variants:*Fiorino Italian*Florian French, German, Polish*Floriano Italian*Florianus Latin*Florin Romanian...
is a masculine equivalent.
As a surname
- Drayton FlorenceDrayton FlorenceDrayton Florence, Jr. is an American football cornerback for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
, American footballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player - Hercules FlorenceHércules FlorenceAntoine Hercule Romuald Florence was a French-Brazilian painter and inventor, known as the isolate inventor of photography in Brazil, three years before Daguerre , using the matrix negative/positive, still in use...
, French/Brazilian artist and inventor of photography - Tyler FlorenceTyler FlorenceTyler Florence is a chef and television host of several Food Network shows. He graduated from the College of Culinary Arts at the Charleston, South Carolina campus of Johnson & Wales University in 1991...
, celebrity chef and TV host
As a given name
- Florence BallardFlorence BallardFlorence Glenda Ballard Chapman was an American singer and a founding member of the Motown group The Supremes. From 1963 until 1967, Ballard sang on 16 Top 40 hit Supremes' singles, ten of which hit number-one on the Billboard Hot 100. In 1967, Motown CEO Berry Gordy decided to remove Ballard from...
, African-American singer - Florence BeaumontFlorence BeaumontFlorence Beaumont was an American who self-immolated herself in protest of the escalating Vietnam war. She had two children....
, one of eight Americans known to have set themselves on fire in protest of the Vietnam war - Florence Bjelke-Petersen, politicianPoliticianA politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, writerWriterA writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and wife of the longest serving premier Joh Bjelke-PetersenJoh Bjelke-PetersenSir Johannes "Joh" Bjelke-Petersen, KCMG , was an Australian politician. He was the longest-serving and longest-lived Premier of Queensland, holding office from 1968 to 1987, a period that saw considerable economic development in the state... - Florence DelayFlorence DelayFlorence Delay is a French academician and actress.-Biography:The daughter of Marie-Madeleine Carrez and Jean Delay, Delay studied at the Lycée Jean de La Fontaine and then the Sorbonne....
, French actress - Florence EzehFlorence EzehFlorence Edem Apefa Ezeh is a female hammer thrower from Togo, who previously represented France during her career. She set her personal best on August 9, 2002 at the European Championships in Munich. Ezeh attended the Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.-Achievements:-References:...
, French-Togolese hammer thrower - Florence HardingFlorence HardingFlorence Mabel Kling "Flossie" Harding , wife of President Warren G...
, wife of American president Warren G. Harding - Florence HendersonFlorence HendersonFlorence Agnes Henderson is an American actress and singer. She is perhaps best known for her role of Carol Brady on the ABC sitcom The Brady Bunch from 1969 to 1974...
, American actress and singer - Florence Foster JenkinsFlorence Foster JenkinsFlorence Foster Jenkins was an American amateur operatic soprano who was known, and ridiculed, for her lack of rhythm, pitch, tone, and overall singing ability.-Early years:...
, American soprano - Florence Griffith Joyner, American athlete in track and field
- Florence HoathFlorence HoathFlorence Angela L. Hoath is a British actress best known for her 2005 appearances as Nancy in Doctor Who.The daughter of British actress Tina Martin, Hoath made her film debut in the 1993 screen adaptation of Secret Rapture at the age of eight...
, British actress - Florence KelleyFlorence KelleyFlorence Kelley was an American social and political reformer. Her work against sweatshops and for the minimum wage, eight-hour workdays, and children's rights is widely regarded today.-Family:...
, American social reformist and feminist - Florence KingFlorence KingFlorence Virginia King is an American novelist, essayist and columnist.While her early writings focused on the American South and those who live there, much of King's later work has been published in National Review...
, Mississippi author - Florence KnappFlorence KnappFlorence Knapp is the name of:* Florence Knapp , US supercentenarian* Florence E.S. Knapp , US politician and New York Secretary of State...
, American supercentenarian - Florence LaBadie, Canadian silent movie actress
- Florence LawrenceFlorence LawrenceFlorence Lawrence was a Canadian inventor and silent film actress. She is often referred to as "The First Movie Star." When she was popular, she was known as "The Biograph Girl," "The Imp Girl," and "The Girl of a Thousand Faces." Lawrence appeared in more than 270 films for various motion...
, inventor and actress, referred to as "The First Movie Star" - Florence MillsFlorence MillsFlorence Mills, born Florence Winfrey , known as the "Queen of Happiness," was an African American cabaret singer, dancer, and comedian known for her effervescent stage presence, delicate voice, and winsome, wide-eyed beauty.-Life and career:A daughter of former enslaved parents, Nellie and John...
, actress in 1920s black theatre and the Harlem Renaissance - Florence NewtonFlorence NewtonFlorence Newton was an alleged Irish witch, known as the "Witch of Youghal". The case against Newton is described as one of the most important examples of Irish witch trials. The trial displays many similarities with the witch trials in England....
, Irish alleged witch - Florence NightingaleFlorence NightingaleFlorence Nightingale OM, RRC was a celebrated English nurse, writer and statistician. She came to prominence for her pioneering work in nursing during the Crimean War, where she tended to wounded soldiers. She was dubbed "The Lady with the Lamp" after her habit of making rounds at night...
, pioneer of modern nursingNursingNursing is a healthcare profession focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life from conception to death.... - Florence Beatrice Price, African-American composer and teacher
- Florence Marjorie Robertson, British actress and singer
- Florence Sabin (1871–1953), anatomist and pathologist, first female professor at Johns Hopkins Medical School
- Florence StephensFlorence StephensFlorence Elisabet Stephens was a Swedish landholder, the owner of the estate Huseby...
, landholder and the main figure of the Huseby court case. - Florence WelchFlorence WelchFlorence Leontine Mary Welch is an English singer-songwriter, best known worldwide as the lead singer of Florence and the Machine...
, Singer and frontwoman of Florence & The Machine
As a stage name
- Florence (actor)Florence (actor)Nicolas-Joseph Billot de La Ferrière, stage-name Florence was a French actor....
, stage name of Nicolas-Joseph Billot de La Ferrière (1749–1816), French actor
Fictional characters
- Florence in The Magic RoundaboutThe Magic RoundaboutThe Magic Roundabout was a children's television programme created in France in 1963 by Serge Danot...
TV programme and subsequent The Magic Roundabout (film)The Magic Roundabout (film)The Magic Roundabout, , is a 2005 British computer-animated film based on the television series of the same name...
adaptation - Florence Jean CastleberryFlorence Jean CastleberryFlorence Jean Castleberry , better known to all as "Flo", is a fictional character in the movie Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, the subsequent television series, Alice, and that show's spinoff, Flo...
in the film Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, and the AliceAlice (TV series)Alice is an American sitcom television series that ran from August 31, 1976 to July 2, 1985 on CBS. The series was based on the 1974 film Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. The show stars Linda Lavin in the title role, a widow who moves with her young son to start her life over again, and finds a job...
and FloFloFlo is an American sitcom which aired on CBS from 1980 to 1981. The series is a spin-off for Polly Holliday who portrayed the sassy and street-smart waitress Florence Jean "Flo" Castleberry on the sitcom Alice...
TV series - Florence Johnston, supporting character in The Jeffersons TV series
- Florence Rose, character in the Little Britain radio and TV sketch show
- Florence Dombey in Charles Dickens' novel Dombey and SonDombey and SonDombey and Son is a novel by the Victorian author Charles Dickens. It was first published in monthly parts between October 1846 and April 1848 with the full title Dealings with the Firm of Dombey and Son: Wholesale, Retail and for Exportation...
- Florence, aka Yami-Bakura, or just Bakura, a spirit of an ancient Egyptian thief from the anime Yu-Gi-Oh!Yu-Gi-Oh!is a Japanese manga created by Kazuki Takahashi. It has produced a franchise that includes multiple anime shows, a trading card game and numerous video games...