Date
Name Florida
Gender Feminine
Usage Late Roman, Albanian, Italian (Rare), English (American), Spanish (Latin American), Louisiana Creole
Other Forms FormsFloridia, Floridiana (feminine); Floridus, Floridius, Floridianus (masculine)
Edit Status Status
Meaning & History
Feminine form of Floridus. This is also the name of a state in the United States of America, which was originally named La Florida by the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León (1474-1521). He so named it because he discovered it during the Easter season, which is called Pascua Florida in Spanish. The literal meaning of the term is "flowery Easter", as it consists of the Spanish noun pascua meaning "Easter, Passover" (also compare Pascual) and the Spanish adjective florida meaning "flourishing, blooming, florid".Most American bearers of the name Florida will have been named in honor of the state, which is much like other given names that come from state names, such as Dakota and Indiana. This is less likely to be the case for bearers from other countries, especially those that are not part of the Anglosphere.