Thirty years of Florence
Florence in numbers
Florence has risen from 228 girls in 1996 to 1,924 in 2025, though it is below its peak of 2,180 in 2021. Its biggest three-year rise came between 2008 and 2011, from 609 to 1,406. It ranked 194th in 1996 and reached 5th in 2025, its best place so far: fewer babies get the name than at its peak, but the names above it have fallen further. On average it was given to 249 girls a year in the late 1990s, 418 in the 2000s, 1,778 in the 2010s and 1,979 in the 2020s so far.
† Shapes, averages and turning points are Baby Data calculations from the ONS counts.
What the official statisticians said
“Parents could also be paying homage to Florence Nightingale”
National Records of Scotland, on 2025 births in Scotland. Read the source
Quoted word for word from the official releases, including their own “may” and “could”. Baby Data has not added reasons of its own. Releases for Scotland and Northern Ireland are about babies there, not in England and Wales.
Milestones
First year in each bandChange
- On last year-1%1,936 to 1,924
- 5 years-2%1,963 to 1,924
- 10 years-6%2,053 to 1,924
- 20 years+382%399 to 1,924
- Since 1996×8228 to 1,924
- Total, 1996 to 202534,832girls
† All changes and totals are Baby Data calculations from ONS counts. A total adds only the published years.
Across the three nations, 2025
Each from its own statistics office, never added togetherRank 5 · ONS · 1,936 in 2024
Rank 54 · NRS · 48 in 2024
Rank 84 · NISRA · 20 in 2024
England and Wales (ONS) count births in the calendar year; Scotland (NRS) and Northern Ireland (NISRA) count births registered in the year. Each comes from its own statistics office and they are never added together.
Year by year, 1996 to 2025 Show all 30 yearsHide the table
| Year | Rank | Babies | Change† | 1 in X† |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5 | 1,924 | -1% | 1 in 148 |
| 2024 | 6 | 1,936 | +2% | 1 in 150 |
| 2023 | 8 | 1,899 | -4% | 1 in 152 |
| 2022 | 8 | 1,971 | -10% | 1 in 150 |
| 2021 | 8 | 2,180 | +11% | 1 in 140 |
| 2020 | 14 | 1,963 | -3% | 1 in 153 |
| 2019 | =15 | 2,025 | -2% | 1 in 154 |
| 2018 | 15 | 2,062 | +2% | 1 in 155 |
| 2017 | 19 | 2,028 | -2% | 1 in 163 |
| 2016 | 20 | 2,072 | +1% | 1 in 164 |
| 2015 | 23 | 2,053 | +15% | 1 in 165 |
| 2014 | 26 | 1,781 | +8% | 1 in 190 |
| 2013 * | 29 | 1,646 | +8% | 1 in 207 |
| 2012 | 34 | 1,531 | +9% | 1 in 232 |
| 2011 | 43 | 1,406 | +19% | 1 in 251 |
| 2010 | 54 | 1,177 | +49% | 1 in 299 |
| 2009 | 80 | 788 | +29% | 1 in 437 |
| 2008 | 94 | 609 | +24% | 1 in 568 |
| 2007 | 105 | 491 | +9% | 1 in 683 |
| 2006 | 118 | 449 | +13% | 1 in 729 |
| 2005 | =133 | 399 | +13% | 1 in 790 |
| 2004 | 147 | 352 | +24% | 1 in 885 |
| 2003 | 173 | 284 | +2% | 1 in 1,067 |
| 2002 | 156 | 278 | +8% | 1 in 1,043 |
| 2001 | =166 | 257 | -6% | 1 in 1,128 |
| 2000 | 163 | 274 | +2% | 1 in 1,076 |
| 1999 | 166 | 268 | +10% | 1 in 1,129 |
| 1998 | =177 | 244 | -5% | n/a |
| 1997 | 175 | 257 | +13% | 1 in 1,220 |
| 1996 | 194 | 228 | 1 in 1,386 |
* ONS’s girls’ 2013 file repeats the May total as April, so the 2013 births total is about 1,360 too high and 1 in X for 2013 is slightly too high. 1 in X is not shown for girls in 1998: one monthly total is missing from the ONS girls’ 1998 file. Rank follows ONS: names with the same count share a rank (shown with =). “Under 3” means the name was given to fewer than 3 babies that year, so ONS did not publish it.
Compare Florence
Draws the second name on the chart above, on a shared scale.
Share and download
Florence is in the free dataset (CSV and JSON), with the method and how to cite it.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Baby names in England and Wales, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0; National Records of Scotland; NISRA. Exact spellings are counted separately and names given to fewer than 3 babies are not published. Figures marked † are Baby Data calculations. How we calculate
Florence is in our lists: Nature baby names, Vintage baby names.