From Latin florens meaning 'flourishing, prosperous'; also the Italian city name.
Florence comes from the Latin Florentia, meaning "flourishing," "prosperous," or "blooming." It is closely related to the verb florere, "to flower," which also lies behind words such as floral and flourish. The name is therefore both botanical and civic: it suggests blossoming life, but it also carries the prestige of Florence, the Italian city whose English name matches it exactly.
That double resonance, natural and historical, has made Florence unusually rich in imagery. The name's most famous bearer in the modern imagination is Florence Nightingale, whose work during the Crimean War transformed nursing into a disciplined profession and turned Florence into a byword for intelligence, compassion, and practical heroism. The city of Florence adds another layer, summoning the Renaissance, Dante, Botticelli, and Medici splendor.
In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the name was widely used in Britain and America, then came to seem old-fashioned before reemerging with the revival of vintage names. Today Florence feels both stately and artistic: a grand old name with sunlight in it, carrying echoes of flowers, reform, and Renaissance beauty all at once.