Floe
A name meaning a flat floating ice mass on a body of water.
Name Census estimates that about 1 living Americans carry the first name Floe. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Floe today is around 62 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Floe births was 1899 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Floe. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Floe. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
1
~ 1 in 342,754,338 Americans
Peak year
1899
8 babies that year
Average age
62
years old
1919 SSA rank
#3,581
Tracked since 1896
Popularity
Floe: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Floe from the 1890s through to the 1910s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 31 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Floe by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Floe during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Floe
The given name Floe has its origins in the Old Norse language, which was spoken by the Scandinavian people during the Viking Age, roughly from the 8th to the 11th centuries. It is derived from the Old Norse word "flói," which means a flat, low-lying land or meadow.
This name was likely first used by the Norse settlers who migrated to Iceland and Greenland, where the landscape is characterized by vast expanses of flat, grassy plains. The name may have been used to describe someone who lived in such an area or whose livelihood was associated with these types of lands.
One of the earliest recorded instances of this name can be found in the Icelandic Sagas, which were written in the 13th and 14th centuries. These literary works depict the lives and adventures of the Norse settlers in Iceland and provide a glimpse into the cultural and linguistic traditions of the time.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who have borne the name Floe. One of the earliest recorded was Floe Gudmundsson, an Icelandic chieftain who lived in the 10th century and played a significant role in the island's political affairs during that time.
Another prominent figure was Floe Reginsson, a Norse explorer who is believed to have been among the first Europeans to set foot on the North American continent. He is mentioned in the Vinland Sagas, which describe the Norse expeditions to the regions they called Vinland, likely referring to parts of modern-day Canada and the United States.
In the 12th century, Floe Thorvaldsson was a renowned Icelandic poet and skald, known for his intricate and artful compositions. His works were highly regarded and widely recited throughout the Nordic regions.
During the 14th century, Floe Magnusson was a influential Icelandic chieftain and lawspeaker, responsible for interpreting and upholding the island's traditional legal code.
In more recent times, Floe Jonsson was a prominent Icelandic painter and artist who lived from 1878 to 1958. His works captured the rugged beauty of the Icelandic landscape and were instrumental in promoting Icelandic art on the international stage.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the name Floe throughout history, each leaving their mark in their respective fields and contributing to the rich cultural heritage of the Scandinavian regions.
People
Floe + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Floe as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with F
Other first names starting with F with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Floe: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Floe?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Floe going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 342,754,338 US residents.
Is Floe a common name?
We classify Floe as "Very Rare". It ranks above 3.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 50 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Floe most popular?
The single biggest year for Floe was 1899, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Floe is about 62 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Floe in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Floe a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Floe in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Floe still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Floe in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Floe can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Floe as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.