Find out how popular the last name Florence is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Florence.

Florence, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Florence surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Florence in America

Florence is the 3865th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Florence surname appeared 9,177 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Florence.

We can also compare 2010 data for Florence to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Florence

The surname Florence is of Italian origin, derived from the Latin name "Florentius," which is related to the Latin word "flos," meaning flower. This name is particularly associated with the city of Florence, Italy, which was known as "Florentia" in ancient Roman times.

The earliest recorded instances of the Florence surname can be traced back to the 12th century in the region of Tuscany, Italy. In medieval records, variations of the spelling include Fiorenza, Fiorentino, and Fiorenti.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Florence was Pietro di Fiorenza, a Florentine merchant who lived in the 13th century. His name appears in several historical documents related to trade and commerce in Florence during that period.

In the 14th century, the Florence surname gained prominence with the rise of the powerful Medici family in Florence. Members of this family, such as Cosimo de' Medici (1389-1464) and Lorenzo de' Medici (1449-1492), played pivotal roles in the Renaissance and the patronage of arts and culture.

Another notable individual bearing the Florence surname was Girolamo da Fiorenza, a 16th-century Italian engraver and printmaker known for his works depicting religious and mythological subjects.

During the 17th century, the surname spread beyond Italy as Italian immigrants and merchants settled in other parts of Europe and the Americas. One example is Joachim Florence, a French architect born in 1622, who designed several notable buildings in Paris, including the Church of Saint-Louis-en-l'Île.

In the 18th century, William Florence (1718-1801) was a prominent English actor and playwright who performed in various theaters in London and wrote several popular comedies of his time.

Moving into the 19th century, William Jermyn Florence (1833-1891) was an American actor and playwright born in Albany, New York. He gained fame for his performances in various Shakespearean roles and wrote several successful plays.

Throughout its history, the Florence surname has been associated with individuals from various fields, including art, architecture, literature, and theater, reflecting its Italian origins and the cultural richness of the city of Florence.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Florence

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Florence.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Florence was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Florence has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Florence was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Florence, please contact us.

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