How popular is the baby name Florence in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Florence.

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Popularity of the baby name Florence


Posts that mention the name Florence

Popular baby names (and Maori baby names) in New Zealand, 2022

Flag of New Zealand
Flag of New Zealand

The island nation of New Zealand is located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, about 1,200 miles east of Australia.

Last year, New Zealand welcomed a total of 59,711 babies. What were the most popular names among these babies? Isla and Oliver.

Here are New Zealand’s top 50 girl names and top 50 boy names of 2022:

Girl Names

  1. Isla, 246 baby girls
  2. Amelia, 210
  3. Charlotte, 208
  4. Mila, 182
  5. Lily, 180
  6. Ava, 179
  7. Willow, 177
  8. Olivia, 175
  9. Harper, 167
  10. Sophie, 166
  11. Hazel, 164
  12. Mia, 161
  13. Ella, 157
  14. Isabella, 156
  15. Ruby, 149
  16. Chloe, 144
  17. Millie, 137
  18. Zoe, 130
  19. Grace, 128
  20. Lucy, 117 (tie)
  21. Olive, 117 (tie)
  22. Emily, 116
  23. Aria, 115
  24. Freya, 114
  25. Ivy, 111
  26. Evelyn, 110
  27. Georgia, 105 (tie)
  28. Sienna, 105 (tie)
  29. Layla, 102 (tie)
  30. Poppy, 102 (tie)
  31. Matilda, 101 (tie)
  32. Sophia, 101 (tie)
  33. Frankie, 100
  34. Luna, 96
  35. Mackenzie, 95
  36. Ellie, 94
  37. Sadie, 92
  38. Maia, 91
  39. Florence, 87
  40. Riley, 86
  41. Isabelle, 85 (tie)
  42. Margot, 85 (tie)
  43. Maeve, 84
  44. Evie, 83 (tie)
  45. Violet, 83 (tie)
  46. Aurora, 80 (tie)
  47. Billie, 80 (tie)
  48. Daisy, 78
  49. Sofia, 75
  50. Eleanor, 73

Boy Names

  1. Oliver, 274 baby boys
  2. Noah, 262
  3. Leo, 243
  4. Jack, 234
  5. Luca, 222
  6. Theodore, 219
  7. George, 211
  8. Charlie, 195
  9. Hudson, 169 (tie)
  10. William, 169 (tie)
  11. Oscar, 166
  12. Arthur, 160
  13. Elijah, 158
  14. Arlo, 156
  15. Thomas, 151
  16. James, 150
  17. Archie, 146
  18. Henry, 144
  19. Lucas, 140
  20. Hunter, 138
  21. Liam, 136
  22. Mason, 130
  23. Theo, 124
  24. Ezra, 123 (tie)
  25. Max, 123 (tie)
  26. Levi, 121
  27. Cooper, 120
  28. Carter, 114
  29. Hugo, 112
  30. Lachlan, 110
  31. Asher, 109
  32. Beau, 108
  33. Finn, 104
  34. Archer, 103 (tie)
  35. Felix, 103 (tie)
  36. Benjamin, 100 (tie)
  37. Luka, 100 (tie)
  38. Jasper, 94
  39. Luke, 92
  40. Harry, 91
  41. Ethan, 88
  42. Alexander, 87 (tie)
  43. Roman, 87 (tie)
  44. Grayson, 85 (tie)
  45. Harrison, 85 (tie)
  46. Jackson, 83 (3-way tie)
  47. Lincoln, 83 (3-way tie)
  48. Samuel, 83 (3-way tie)
  49. Jacob, 82 (tie)
  50. Louie, 82 (tie)

This is the tenth year in a row that Oliver has been New Zealand’s #1 boy name.

The news release also mentioned that the “most popular gender-neutral name for 2022 was Riley,” which ranked 40th for girls and 51st for boys.

And what about the top Maori baby names?

Maori girl names

  1. Aroha / Te Aroha
  2. Aria
  3. Anahera
  4. Maia
  5. Moana
  6. Kaia
  7. Manaia
  8. Atarangi / Te Atarangi
  9. Ataahua
  10. Marama

Maori boy names

  1. Ariki / Te Ariki / Teariki
  2. Nikau
  3. Wiremu
  4. Rawiri
  5. Mikaere
  6. Manaia
  7. Kai
  8. Manaaki
  9. Kahurangi
  10. Koa

There are a couple of things we need to note about the Maori baby name rankings, though.

First, the Maori rankings don’t cover the same period of time as the national rankings. Instead, they cover births from June 21, 2022, to July 9, 2023. Why? Because these dates are linked to Matariki, or Maori New Year. (The Maori word Matariki refers to both the Pleiades star cluster and to the yearly celebration of the Pleiades’ return to the night sky, in late June or early July).

Second, a more thorough process is now being used to determine which names to include in the Maori rankings. Previously, the only criterion was that the names be made up of letters in the Maori alphabet. Now, on top of that, the names must: end in a vowel, be “carefully considered and checked,” be discussed with a Maori elder, and be reviewed by the Maori Language Commission.

In 2021, the top names overall in New Zealand were Charlotte and Oliver.

Sources: Top Baby Names – New Zealand Government, Aotearoa’s top ten Maori baby names of the year revealed for Matariki, Matariki (the Pleiades) – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand

Image: Adapted from Flag of New Zealand (public domain)

Popular and unique baby names in Quebec (Canada), 2022

Flag of Quebec
Flag of Quebec

Of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada, Quebec is the second-largest both in terms of population (after Ontario) and in terms of area (after Nunavut).

Last year, Quebec welcomed 80,700 babies. The most popular names among these babies? Emma and Noah.

Here are Quebec’s top 50 girl names and top 50 boy names of 2022:

Girl Names

  1. Emma, 520 baby girls
  2. Olivia, 476
  3. Charlotte, 465
  4. Charlie, 462
  5. Florence, 445
  6. Alice, 433
  7. Lea, 371 (tie)
  8. Livia, 371 (tie)
  9. Rose, 321
  10. Juliette, 315
  11. Romy, 314
  12. Clara, 308
  13. Beatrice, 292
  14. Zoe, 278
  15. Mia, 268
  16. Eva, 261
  17. Chloe, 260 (tie)
  18. Mila, 260 (tie)
  19. Rosalie, 250
  20. Sofia, 249
  21. Victoria, 239
  22. Julia, 234
  23. Leonie, 219
  24. Jade, 214
  25. Maeva, 202 (tie)
  26. Raphaelle, 202 (tie)
  27. Flavie, 182
  28. Jeanne, 182
  29. Amelia, 175
  30. Eleonore, 169
  31. Elena, 168
  32. Billie, 167
  33. Camille, 163 (tie)
  34. Ophelie, 163 (tie)
  35. Adele, 160
  36. Elizabeth, 158
  37. Sophie, 150
  38. Ellie, 145 (tie)
  39. Sophia, 145 (tie)
  40. Lily, 134
  41. Oceane, 125
  42. Flora, 120
  43. Maya, 118 (tie)
  44. Simone, 118 (tie)
  45. Eloise, 117
  46. Alicia, 116
  47. Mathilde, 114 (tie)
  48. Romane, 114 (tie)
  49. Gabrielle, 111 (tie)
  50. Lexie, 111 (tie)

Boy Names

  1. Noah, 650 baby boys
  2. William, 616
  3. Liam, 586
  4. Thomas, 571
  5. Leo, 563
  6. Edouard, 482
  7. Jacob, 451
  8. Arthur, 446 (tie)
  9. Louis, 446 (tie)
  10. Nathan, 430
  11. Emile, 429
  12. Charles, 408
  13. Felix, 400
  14. Theo, 385
  15. Logan, 384
  16. Adam, 369
  17. Arnaud, 349
  18. Raphael, 344
  19. Jules, 315
  20. James, 294
  21. Henri, 290
  22. Victor, 289
  23. Theodore, 277
  24. Lucas, 270
  25. Elliot, 261
  26. Laurent, 260
  27. Jackson, 259
  28. Benjamin, 256
  29. Nolan, 254
  30. Samuel, 247
  31. Alexis, 246
  32. Gabriel, 244
  33. Milan, 226
  34. Olivier, 223
  35. Antoine, 219
  36. Eloi, 218
  37. Ethan, 213
  38. Matheo, 211
  39. Jayden, 203
  40. Axel, 200
  41. Jake, 198
  42. Eli, 197
  43. Zack, 178
  44. Leonard, 164
  45. Robin, 163
  46. Louka, 157
  47. Mathis, 154
  48. Hubert, 148
  49. Zachary, 145
  50. Mayson, 143

The girls’ top 100 included Laurence (53rd), Clemence (71st), Stella (75th), and Dahlia (97th).

The boys’ top 100 included Tristan (55th), Ludovic (61st), Tyler (75th), and Maverick (93rd).

Below are some of the baby names that were bestowed just once in Quebec last year:

Unique Girl NamesUnique Boy Names
Arsaniq, Brythanie, Celestia, Dashnie, Everly-Andalucia, Florabelle, Guerlandine, Halanna, Itzia, Joneer, Kana, Lista, Midland, Namra, Orchina, Paulasie, Qullik, Raffie, Sirpaluk, Thelora, Uashtuashkuan, Veola, Wapikon, Xerra, Yrina, ZoulfaAdonijah, Brivael, Cleamsburg, Dodnerlyn, Enzau, Forty, Glauca, Halprin, Ihaziel, Joanassie, Kittir, Lorio, Mihkwaabin, Napessis, Orso, Pinaskin, Qumanguaq, Roosely, Shmaryahu, Timangiak, Uziar, Valmond, Waastuskun, Wakinyan, Xavyn, Yasten, Zotique

Some possible explanations/associations for a few of the above:

  • Arsaniq means “northern lights” in Inuktitut.
  • Glauca might be a reference to white spruce (Picea glauca), a type of tree found throughout Canada.
  • Napessis is based on napesis, the Cree word for “small boy.”
  • Qullik (like Qulliq in the 2021 data) refers to an Inuit soapstone lamp.
  • Qumanguaq (which was also used in 2020) refers to a mountain in Nunavut.
  • Sirpaluk refers to “one of the seal knucklebones used in an Inuit game.”
  • Uashtuashkuan means “northern lights” in Innu (which is related to Cree).
  • Waastuskun means “northern lights” in Cree.
  • Wakinyan means “thunder” in Lakota.
  • Zotique can be traced back to the ancient Greek word zotikos, meaning “full of life, alive.”

Joanassie and Paulasie (which were mentioned in the post about Canada’s 2021 rankings) are two examples of Inuktitut-influenced Christian names.

And one last name I wanted to throw in was Minokimin, which was part of a longer boy name bestowed in Quebec last year. Minokimin refers to one of the eight Algonquin seasons — specifically, to the period in late spring during which ice thaws and plants begin to grow.

Sources:

Image: Adapted from Flag of Quebec (public domain)

What gave the baby name Winnie a boost (three times) in the 1930s?

Aviator Wiley Post standing in front of the airplane Winnie Mae (July, 1933)
Wiley Post in front of the Winnie Mae

Usage of the baby name Winnie was generally on the decline in the U.S. from the 1920s to the 1980s. But there were several upticks here and there, including a series of three in the early 1930s:

  • 1937: 254 baby girls named Winnie [rank: 406th]
  • 1936: 263 baby girls named Winnie [rank: 393rd]
  • 1935: 346 baby girls named Winnie [rank: 344th]
  • 1934: 306 baby girls named Winnie [rank: 362nd]
  • 1933: 354 baby girls named Winnie [rank: 333rd]
  • 1932: 328 baby girls named Winnie [rank: 350th]
  • 1931: 348 baby girls named Winnie [rank: 341st]
  • 1930: 297 baby girls named Winnie [rank: 393rd]
  • 1929: 320 baby girls named Winnie [rank: 376th]

You can see the three upticks — almost like three points of a little crown — on the popularity graph:

Graph of the usage of the baby name Winnie in the U.S. since 1880
Usage of the baby name Winnie

What caused them?

I think the answer has to do with aviation. Specifically, with a record-breaking airplane called the Winnie Mae that became famous at the height of the Great Depression.

The Winnie Mae — in full, the Winnie Mae of Oklahoma — was a single-winged, seven-passenger Lockheed Vega. It was purchased in June of 1930 by Oklahoma oilman Florence Charles “F. C.” Hall, who named the plane after his adult daughter Winnie Mae.

Hall’s personal pilot was a one-eyed man named Wiley Post. (He’d lost his left eye in an oil-rig accident in the mid-1920s, but the injury payout allowed him to purchase an aircraft and learn how to fly.)

1931

In 1931, Wiley Post attempted an around-the-world flight in the Winnie Mae. The trip was sponsored by Hall.

Accompanied by navigator Harold Gatty, Post set off from New York on June 23. The duo landed back in New York on July 1. They’d flown the Winnie Mae around the world in record time: eight days, fifteen hours, and fifty-one minutes. (The previous record of over twenty-one days had been set by a Graf Zeppelin in 1929.)

The two men were honored with a ticker-tape parade in New York City the following day.

Winnie Mae Fain (née Hall), Wiley Post, Harold Gatty, and F. C. Hall (July, 1931)
Winnie Mae christening the Winnie Mae

1933

In 1933, after having purchased the Winnie Mae from Hall, Wiley Post decided to fly around the world again. This time, though, he would do it alone. In place of a human navigator, he installed an autopilot device (which he dubbed “Mechanical Mike“) and a radio compass.

Post set off from New York on July 15. He landed back in New York on July 22. Amazingly, he’d set another record: seven days, eighteen hours, and 49 minutes.

This flight made Post the first aviator to fly solo around the world, and also the first aviator to fly around the world twice.

Post was honored with a second ticker-tape parade in New York City several days later.

1935

The Winnie Mae was in the news for various reasons during 1935.

From February to June, Wiley Post attempted to make a transcontinental flight through the lower stratosphere. (The plane’s cabin wasn’t pressurized, so Post developed the world’s first pressurized flight suit in order to fly at high altitude.) Unfortunately, all four of his attempts were cut short due to mechanical issues. He subsequently retired the Winnie Mae.

Then, on August 15, tragedy struck: Wiley Post and Will Rogers perished in a plane crash while traveling through Alaska together. The very next day, the federal government purchased the Winnie Mae from Post’s widow (whose first name happened to be Mae). In November, the Winnie Mae was dismantled and transported, via railway boxcar, from Oklahoma to Washington, D.C.

The compound name “Winnie Mae” has never appeared in the U.S. baby name data before, but records reveal that a sizeable number of the baby girls named Winnie during the 1930s also got the middle name Mae. Many of those Winnie Maes were likely named with the airplane in mind.

Winnie Mae Kuempel, for instance, was born in Austin, Texas, on August 5, 1931. Here’s how she told the story of her name (at the age of 84):

I was named after a famous plane, the Winnie Mae. The day before I was born Wiley Post had just flown it around the world. The next day headlines told about Wiley Post’s adventure, and my dad said, “Let’s name her Winnie Mae.”

What are your thoughts on the baby name Winnie? How about the combo Winnie Mae?

Sources:

Images:

Baby name stories: Parthenope and Florence

Florence and Frances Parthenope Nightingale (painted circa 1836 by William White)
Florence and Frances Parthenope Nightingale

Wealthy British couple William Nightingale and Frances “Fanny” Smith married in June of 1818. The Napoleonic Wars had ended several years earlier, so, now that it was safe to travel through Europe again, they decided to spend the first part of their marriage on the Grand Tour.

While abroad, they welcomed two daughters:

  1. Frances Parthenope (pronounced pahr-THEN-oh-pee), born in April, 1819
  2. Florence, born in May, 1820

Both baby girls were named after their birthplaces.

Frances Parthenope was born in Naples, which had been founded — as Neápolis, in the 6th century BC — in roughly the same spot as an earlier Greek colony known as Parthenope. Because of this, “Parthenope” is sometimes used as a poetic synonym for Naples. The Greek settlement was named after the Siren Parthenope, whose name was derived, in part, from the ancient Greek word parthenos, meaning “maiden, girl” or “virgin.”

Florence was born in Florence (of course), which is located about 300 miles northwest of Naples. The city’s name is based on the Latin word florens, meaning “flowering” or “flourishing.”

(Nowadays, both of these cities are part of Italy. During that era, however, Naples was part of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, Florence was part of Grand Duchy of Tuscany, and the unification of Italy was still 40 years away.)

The sisters, who went by the nicknames “Parthe” (PAHR-thee) and “Flo,” returned with their parents to England in 1821.

Younger sister Florence, who went on to become a nurse (despite her family’s opposition), rose to prominence in the mid-1850s while caring for wounded soldiers during the Crimean War. Today, Florence Nightingale is considered the founder of modern nursing.

Which name do you prefer, Parthenope or Florence?

Sources: Florence Nightingale – Wikipedia, Parthenope (Siren) – Wikipedia, Parthénos – Wiktionary, William Nightingale – Wikipedia

Image: Florence Nightingale; Frances Parthenope, Lady Verney by William White