3 Short Forms of Florence that aren’t Flo

The Camerons with daughter Florence, from blogcdn.com

We kicked off the week with a friend’s name, now it’s time to turn to a fast riser in England&Wales. The name Florence rose 26 places up the list for a 2010 ranking of #54. With the band Florence and the Machine as popular as ever the name could still rise. So it’s time to think up some nicknames. After the birth of her daughter, Samantha Cameron made it very clear that her daughter would be a Florence, not a Flo. But maybe she’d be open to one of these suggestions?

1. Wren

The name of a songbird, quite simply being inspired by the first part of the second syllable, that’s if you pronounce it the same way I do. I will admit to a liking of the name Wren, she’s got the quirky element, but is equally simple at the same time. This is something you could say she shares with the nickname Flo, therefore making her a perfect substitute.

I must say, I was surprised to see that only 7 little girls were given the name in England&Wales last year. Even more so when I followed the rumours that the name is also used for males, and found out that 6 boys were given the name in E&W in 2010. That makes Wren pretty much equally popular for both genders.

2. Enna

I read the book Enna Burning a few years ago and loved the flair the author (and indeed her children)  had for naming her characters. When you say the name aloud, some may mistakenly believe you are trying to say the more popular name Emma, which naturally causes a little less frustration if used as a nickname. But it may still pose a problem for you regardless, depending on how you feel about the name Emma.

As for popularity, 5 girls were named Enna in England&Wales in 2010. The name is also that of a city on the island of Sicily, whilst also being of Irish origins, meaning bird-like. However, the Irish name is considered masculine; but does that really matter when you’re using it as a nickname?

3. Orla

Yesterday’s list featured an Irish name in the third spot, and we’re keeping up with that trend today. The name in Irish is actually Órfhlaith, but Orla is the anglicised version. Regardless, the name means golden princess and sits at a respectable ranking  of #175 in England&Wales for 2010.

Out of the three names on this list, Orla appears as the least logical, and you’re probably right, since she doesn’t naturally appear in the pronunciation, but instead comes out of the letters which make up the name.

Any one else have any other ideas of nicknames they wish to add? I’m sure there’s plenty I’ve overlooked.