Florene
A feminine name of Latin origin representing "blossoming" or "flourishing".
Name Census estimates that about 779 living Americans carry the first name Florene. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Florene today is around 78 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Florene births was 1919 (176 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Florene. 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
- • The typical person named Florene is about 78 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Florenes were born before 1958.
People living today
779
~ 1 in 439,993 Americans
Peak year
1919
176 babies that year
Average age
78
years old
1974 SSA rank
#7,135
Tracked since 1888
Census
Florene in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,195 people with the first name Florene, which placed it at #10,939 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#10,939
National first-name rank
People counted
1.2K
1,195 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
58.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Florene
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Florene is White at 58.7%. The next largest groups are Black (34.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Florene described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Florene at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White58.7% · 702
- Black or African American34.3% · 410
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.2% · 26
- Two or more races2.2% · 26
- Hispanic or Latino1.6% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 12
Popularity
Florene: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Florene from the 1880s through to the 1970s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 1,431 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Florene 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 Florene during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Florenes live
The SSA's state-level files cover 21 states and territories. Texas, Oklahoma, Georgia recorded the most babies named Florene, while Minnesota, South Carolina, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 116 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Florene
The given name Florene has its origins in the Latin language. It is derived from the Latin word "florens," which means "blooming" or "flourishing." The name is closely related to the Latin word "flos," meaning "flower." This connection suggests that the name Florene was initially associated with nature, beauty, and growth.
During the Renaissance period in Europe, the name Florene gained popularity, particularly in Italy and France. It was often used as a feminine form of the masculine name Florentius, which was derived from the Latin word "florentissimus," meaning "most flourishing." This name was commonly given to children born during the spring or in areas known for their lush gardens and floral landscapes.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Florene can be found in the writings of the Italian scholar and poet Petrarch, who lived from 1304 to 1374. He mentioned a woman named Florene in one of his sonnets, praising her beauty and grace.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Florene. One such figure was Florene Popenoe (1892-1983), an American educator and author who played a significant role in promoting home economics education in the United States.
Another prominent Florene was Florene Moore Watson (1927-2022), an American playwright and activist who co-founded the Frank Silvera Writers' Workshop in New York City, which aimed to support and promote the works of African American writers.
Florene Mendes (1910-1993) was a renowned American fashion designer and entrepreneur who established her own successful clothing line and boutique in New York City during the mid-20th century.
In the literary world, Florene Dunlap (1925-2018) was an American author and educator known for her children's books, including "The Listening Walk" and "The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse."
Another notable figure was Florene Christ Miller (1917-2017), an American philanthropist and art collector who donated significant works to various museums, including the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the name Florene throughout history, each leaving their mark in their respective fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of human endeavor.
People
Florene + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Florene 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
Florene: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Florene?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 779 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Florene 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 439,993 US residents.
Is Florene a common name?
We classify Florene as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 4,616 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Florene most popular?
The single biggest year for Florene was 1919, when 176 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Florene is about 78 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Florene in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,195 people with the name Florene, or 0.40 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #10,939 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Florene in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Florene?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Florene appears almost entirely female. Of the 1,193 people counted with this name, 99.3% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Florene?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Florene is White at 58.7%. The next largest groups are Black (34.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Florene most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Florene in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.7% (702 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Florene in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Florene a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Florene 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 Florene still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Florene 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 Florene 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.
How many people share the name Florene?
You can see how many people have the name Florene on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.