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Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

Flora as a shortening of Florence

38 replies

MonkeyToucher · 22/11/2018 09:18

We really like the name Flora for dd, but I’m now considering whether it would be better to have Florence on the birth certificate to give her the option in future of having something a bit more “grown up” to use? As a child we would literally always refer to her as Flora, Florence would just be on official documents.

Am I mental? Is this necessary? Does Flora work as a stand alone name?

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LegoPiecesEverywhere · 01/12/2018 07:54

I prefer Florence to Flora

YoumeandlittleP · 25/11/2018 07:41

We were going to call our DD Flora Elizabeth! Love it. We went with a different first name but kept the middle one.

Sessy19 · 25/11/2018 06:52

@TokenGinger...imagine all that time you have wasted pausing...forever?! 😂😂😂

Winterwonderland12 · 24/11/2018 15:41

Flora and Florence are two distinct and different names. Choose one or the other.

MikeUniformMike · 24/11/2018 15:31

I think Flora is much nicer than Florence.

LizFi · 23/11/2018 21:36

I’d shorten Florence to Flo rather than Flora. Both nice names but Flora is fine as a full name.

ThroughThickAndThin01 · 23/11/2018 19:03

I adore Flora. So much nicer than Florence.

Loopytiles · 23/11/2018 18:56

I like Flora Elizabeth. And think that Flora is a “grown up” sounding name anyway!

daisypond · 23/11/2018 18:54

Flora is fine on its own. It's not short for Florence and is a much older name than Florence as well. I like Flora Elizabeth.

giftsonthebrain · 23/11/2018 18:54

Ummmm Flora and Florence both have the “o” sound where I’m from...
I know a Florence who uses Flowie as a nn.
My moms a Florence no nn, full name.

buckeejit · 23/11/2018 18:51

I have a Florence and shorten to Flora. I like her to have choice but love Flora on its own too.

Also love Elizabeth, nn Betsy. Congrats!

TokenGinger · 23/11/2018 18:48

I don't like Flora Elizabeth. I like them separately but not together. As somebody whose first name ends in a vowel and second name starts with a vowel, I am forever having to take a pause between the two names to show it's not just one big long name. I don't think names are pronounced well when it's two vowels ending and beginning.

stellarfox · 23/11/2018 07:27

Flora Elizabeth is lovely

Cookit · 22/11/2018 20:45

I am VERY much a “full name on the BC” person. But even for me, Flora is a full name.

RedDwarves · 22/11/2018 20:18

Echoing others - Flora and Florence are two distinct names, and using Flora as a shortening for Florence doesn't really work for this reason, and because the 'o' sound is different.

Use Flora if you like Flora.

hamzilla · 22/11/2018 19:48

Flora Elizabeth is lovely

Pimpernell · 22/11/2018 17:37

Bit weird. Just pick Flora. It's not even a babyish name so I'm unsure why she'd need a different name later in life. Confused

bridgetreilly · 22/11/2018 17:31

I do know a Flora short for Florence, but it always feels a bit awkward to me. Flora is a perfectly good grown-up name in its own right.

RuthW · 22/11/2018 17:02

I have a Florence and it could be shortened to Flora. Flora is a nice name on it's own as long as you are happy with the 'margarine for men' comments.

GreatDuckCookery6211 · 22/11/2018 14:55

I wouldn't have a vowel name to go with Flora personally. Too many r's.

Flora Juliet
Flora Beatrice
Flora Clementine
Flora Madeleine
Flora Gabrielle

Winterwonderland12 · 22/11/2018 13:35

Flora and Florence are two very different names! Choose the one you prefer.

Purplehammer · 22/11/2018 13:19

Instead of Florence you could go for the Italian name. Firenza.

Astronica · 22/11/2018 13:11

Flora is a lovely name in its own right, and not a childish version of another name. I would stick to Flora on the birth certificate. Florence seems quite a different name to me.

ClaudiaWankleman · 22/11/2018 11:40

Flora and Elizabeth are both beautiful names, but when you say them together many people will put an 'r' sound between them.

'Florary lizabeth' I am not massively keen on.

Equally though - its unlikely to be said very often!

Sophronia · 22/11/2018 11:34

Flora Elizabeth is lovely.

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