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Baby names

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

Florence or Sylvie?

35 replies

Helppickaname1234567 · 21/12/2025 07:22

Struggling to pick between the two - please help us decide! Have added names to poll below. Thank you

OP posts:
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aaaheatedblanket · 11/01/2026 11:05

Sylvie Florence sounds really cute

user1492757084 · 24/12/2025 09:45

Clemency
Samantha
Serena

everdine · 23/12/2025 20:46

Florence is a lovely name and you could use Sylvie as her middle name!

theunbreakablecleopatrajones · 23/12/2025 20:41

onlyoneoftheregimentinstep · 21/12/2025 08:17

Are these both with the French pronunciation? If so Florence will be forever correcting people, whereas Sylvie is very similar in English and French.

Why would OP be using the French pronunciation? (I mean, I think she would have flagged that.)

I'd go for Sylvie, as I think Florence is sweet for a little girl, but not so great for an adult.

somuchtoorganise · 23/12/2025 10:32

My friend child is called Florence but alway gets called Flo so it depends if you associate Flo with anything.

Robogob · 23/12/2025 10:30

Sylvie is a gorgeous name. So is Florence. If you can’t decide now then maybe wait until she’s born and see if one of them somehow suits her more? Sylvie slightly tips it for me, but only just.

Quicklyquicklyquicker · 22/12/2025 23:13

My Nan was called Florence, it’s a lovely name.

MamaLoLo1 · 22/12/2025 23:12

I love both and would have used either but know two other little girls called Florence and my partner vetoed Sylvie, which I just adore

sloth75 · 22/12/2025 17:53

Florence is prettier than Sylvie

amy480 · 22/12/2025 15:19

I think Sylvie will be in the next influx of old lady names (I just associate with old ladies as I know 2 that are in their 80s!) to become popular as I’ve heard it mentioned a few times on here. Florence is gorgeous but as everyone has said very popular if that bothers you but imo nicer than Sylvie.

bridgetreilly · 21/12/2025 22:44

I much prefer Sylvia to Sylvie, but I like Florence better than either.

Meadowflower2023 · 21/12/2025 22:23

I know a Florrie - a mix of your two choices.
Florence is very popular right now.

Alexandrine · 21/12/2025 16:16

Sylvie. I’m not usually keen on “ee” ending names as they can sound a bit cute - but Sylvie is just so pretty. I don’t dislike Florence and being Top 10, it will be fun for her to find stuff with her name on easily, but it’s definitely Sylvie for me.

MolkosTeenageAngst · 21/12/2025 14:12

Sylvie. Florence is very overused, at least in my area. I know lots of babies and toddlers called Florence but never met a Sylvie.

winnerwinnertofudinner · 21/12/2025 14:11

Very biased, but I have a little Sylvie! I think it's very sweet, and you don't meet many but it is getting more popular I think.

I'm a big fan of Florence also, love those pretty, slightly more mature names for little girls.

Other names we liked were Leila, Eleanor, and Elsie. I'm also a big fan of Noelle but it felt wrong to use for a baby not born in winter somehow!

I'm invested now - would love to know which way you sway in the end!

BoleynMemories13 · 21/12/2025 13:27

I prefer Florence. Who cares if it's more much more popular than Sylvie? There's a reason for that, more people think it's much nicer!

Roaminginthegloaming · 21/12/2025 13:26

My late granny was born in about 1911 and her name was Florence. I wish I’d named my (now adult) daughter that name.

Nobody ever called her Flo. If they did shorten it, the name was always Florrie - which I also like.

Comedycook · 21/12/2025 13:23

Sylvie is just gorgeous... feminine and glam without being twee

Florence is too popular imo

Pranksters · 21/12/2025 13:21

Sylvie. Because I don’t like Florence and it’s just so popular.

2chocolateoranges · 21/12/2025 13:18

I know a Sylvie and a Florence (I work in early years) and I love Sylvie and the shortened versions her friends and family call her , such as Sylv and also Vee.

however I don’t like Flo and as they grow Florence will get shortened .

DuchessOfNarcissex · 21/12/2025 13:16

Sylvia is not nice. Sylvie is ok but it's a French 60-something woman's name.

sprigatito · 21/12/2025 10:51

I voted for Florence, but I was really torn! They’re both adorable.

RuthW · 21/12/2025 10:50

Don’t like Sylvie as a full name but love Sylvia.

I have an adult Florence, which was unheard of 30 years ago.

Avantiagain · 21/12/2025 10:40

I like both but I think Florence can be pronounced in a way that doesn't sound nice so I would go for Sylvie.

luckylavender · 21/12/2025 10:30

Florence

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