Florence History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
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 2,998th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 3 However, in France, the name Florence is ranked the 6,991st 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