Skip to main content

Flora


Flora is a girl's name lurking just outside the U.S. top 1000, with 173 girls born in 2015 - a noticeable increase from 90 in 2006. It was last on the charts in 1972, but her heyday was in 1920. It seems F- names in general are not very popular.

Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers and spring, has a Latin name meaning "flower," and its spelling is one letter away from "floral," making it undeniably feminine and flowery, yet it can be considered more womanly than girlish with its vintage charm, and a name that truly ages well. Flora doesn't make you think of vain pretty-girls who wear floral prints, it somehow makes you think of a traditional, nurturing woman who is kind. Also, what better name for a springtime baby?

I'm not a big fan of nicknames for Flora, which usually include Flo, Flor, Florry and Flossie, so I suggest getting creative. Not all nicknames have to be a shortened version of the full name. Her nickname could very well be Flower or Fleur. Famous namesakes include Flora Tristan, a socialist/writer/feminist, and Flora MacDonald, a Scottish folk hero, and a Spanish saint of 851 whose name day is November 24.

There are plenty of variations on this name, including Floria, last seen in 2006 on 6 baby girls, an odd pop-up since it was last seen in 1989 on just 5 girls. It was used since at least 1898 but never on more than 37 babies in a year. Floriana is the frillier version, only seen in 2002 on 6, 2006 on 5, 2011 on 6 and 2012 on 5 baby girls. Florina falls somewhere between the previous two spellings, used more regularly but never on more than 12 girls in a year. There are a few more unusual options, including Florabelle and Florella, which haven't seen light since the 1940's.
Labels:

Comments

  1. Angie @ Upswing Baby NamesAugust 31, 2012 at 5:20 AM

    This is one of my favorites. But with Nora and Cora becoming more popular, it is surprising Flora isn't more popular.

    I feel F is more popular, but more in sound, than appearance (ph) and often in the middle of names. Sophia and Josephine come to mind. For F at the beginning, I think of the growing popularity of Fiona. Felicity made huge popularity leaps in 2011. Philippa gets a lot of attention, but still hasn't broken the top 1000. I think we will see more F and Ph names in the future.

    ReplyDelete
  2. CristinaAugust 31, 2012 at 1:31 PM

    I agree. I think Freya will break out on to the charts next year. I always smile to think how well liked Felicity and Fiona are.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sailor Moon Baby Names

As a long-time fan girl of Sailor Moon, I was thrilled to hear about a potential reboot of the series, which was supposed to be in 2013 and has now been pushed to 2014. It's been over 20 years since Sailor Moon first aired, but many still get a warm fuzzy feeling when they think of the show. What is not often mentioned is how well researched Takeuchi's name choices were. She covered gems, minerals, astrology, mythology and creative word choices. Today I'll talk about Sailor Moon names. Usagi Tsukino- Bunny - Serena - Princess Serenity - Sailor Moon Usagi means "rabbit" in Japanese, referring to the Japanese legend of the rabbit on the moon, and Tsukino means "moon." In the translation of the comics, Usagi was renamed Bunny appropriately. Keeping with the mythological aspects of the moon and both Greek and Roman moon goddesses, Usagi's character was given the concept of "serene," which gave her the name Serena in the American TV series (a
3 comments
Read more

Gascon language girls names

Gascon is a dialect of Occitan spoken in Gascony, France, whose speakers at one point in history were Basque. Here are some beautiful and unique female names from this origin, which are unlike anything you've seen before. None of these names were used in 2016 in the U.S. except for Adelaida, Alaria, Belina, Celina and Clarie. Adelaïda (from Adelaide) Aimelina Aizivella Alaizina Alamanda, Allemande Alaria Alesta Alissende, Alissenda Almoïse Amadeta Amandina Amaneva Anderequina Arsende Asalaïs Auda Aulaire Belina Berengaria, Bereguièira Bertrana Biatris Blanqua Bousigat Brayda Brunissen, Brunissenda Cathelina Célina Ciragua Claramontine Clariana Clarie Cristia Domengina Domenja Eisabèu Ermessinde Esclarmonda Esperta Esterelle (thought to be a Provençal fairy who protects pregnant women, means "star") Estevena Fortina Franquine Garsenda Gauzia Guiana Guilhelma Guiralda Isabèu Izelda Jacotte (found in Foix) Jenofa Jouselet
1 comment
Read more

Aragon

Today's name: Aragon Pronunciation: AYR-uh-gahn, AIR-ah-gonn Potential nicknames: Ar, Ary, Ara, Gon Origin: Spanish and Aragonese, the medieval Kingdom of Aragon in the northeastern Iberian peninsula of Spain, it is now an autonomous community as of 1982 and its own nationality and its own provinces. Aragon has a rich history dating back to pre-Roman days. Aragon became a self-proclaimed kingdom in 1035 AD. Popularity: In 2010 there were no babies named Aragon, nor has it ever ranked. In 2011 there were only 5 boys given this name. Fun fact: (1) Not to be confused with the book and movie titled "Eragon." (2) Catherine of Aragon was the wife of Arthur Tudor, the Prince of Wales, but he died five months after their marriage in 1501. She then married his brother, Henry VIII, the future King of England, in 1509. Henry was not satisfied that she gave him no surviving male heirs, so he annulled their marriage, partly due to his infatuation with his mistress, Anne Boleyn. Henry
Post a Comment
Read more