Contents [hide]

Florence History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Florence History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France
England

Early Origins of the Florence family

The surname Florence was first found in Lorraine, where the family has been a prominent family for centuries, and held a family seat with lands and manor.

The name is "a masculine personal name, Latin Florentius. The fame of Florentius, an Angevin saint, made the name popular among the Normans. " 1

In England, Florence of Worcester (d. 1118), was an English "chronicler, a monk of Worcester, who is said by one of his continuators, who praises his skill and industry, to have died on 7 July 1118." 2

Early History of the Florence family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Florence research. Another 72 words (5 lines of text) covering the year 1721 is included under the topic Early Florence History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Florence Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Florence, Florance, Florange, Florenges, Florenge, Florens, Florans, Florent, Florenty and many more.

Early Notables of the Florence family

Notable in the family name was

the Florence family of Lorraine

Florence Ranking

In the United States, the name Florence is the 2,998^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 3 However, in France, the name Florence is ranked the 6,991^st most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 4

Florence migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Florence Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Eliza Florence, who arrived in Virginia in 1706 5
Charles Florence, who landed in New England in 1725 5

Florence Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Sebastian Florence, who arrived in Maryland in 1832 5
James Florence, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1878 5
Joseph Florence, who arrived in Mississippi in 1886 5
Celestin Florence was naturalized in Illinois in 1886

Florence migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Florence Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Peter Florence, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750

Florence Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Louis Florence was recorded in London, in the census of Ontario, Canada of 1871

Florence migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Florence Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Thomas Florence, who landed in Bay of Islands, New Zealand in 1840
Thomas Florence, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
Thomas George Florence, aged 28, a bricklayer, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "London" in 1842
Celia Florence, aged 28, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "London" in 1842
Robert Florence, who arrived in Lyttelton, New Zealand aboard the ship "Canute" in 1867

Contemporary Notables of the name Florence (post 1700) +

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Florence Sr. (1934-2023), American Christian minister who was involved in civil rights work in Rochester, New York for five decades
Drayton Florence Jr. (b. 1980), American football cornerback for the Buffalo Bills
Bob Florence (1932-2008), American jazz arranger and pianist
Tyler Florence (b. 1971), American chef and television host of several Food Network shows
William E. Florence, American politician, Member of New Jersey State Senate from Middlesex County, 1916-18 6
Thomas Birch Florence (1812-1875), American Democratic Party politician, U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania 1st District, 1851-61 6
Glenn Florence, American politician, Member of Georgia State Senate, 1950 6
Franklin D. R. Florence, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1988 6
Elias Florence (1797-1880), American politician, Member of Ohio State Legislature; U.S. Representative from Ohio 9th District, 1843-45; Delegate to Ohio State Constitutional Convention from Pickaway County, 1850-51 6
Carroll Florence, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Texas, 1944 6
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 17) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html