Florus

Florus is a Latin masculine given name meaning flowering or flourishing. It has ancient origins and appears in Roman and early Christian sources. In later centuries the name persisted in Europe as a personal name and occasionally as a surname.

Florus the historian was a 2nd-century Roman writer known for composing the Epitome de Romanorum Historia, commonly titled Epitome of Roman History. The work is a concise, six-book summary of Roman history, drawing on earlier authorities such as Livy. Although compact, Florus’s Epitome circulated widely in antiquity and the Middle Ages and influenced education and later historiography.

Several early Christian martyrs bore the name Florus; in Western hagiographies Florus is often connected with Laurus in accounts of martyrdoms. Their cults appeared in various regional calendars and churches, with feast days dedicated to Florus in certain communities.

In modern usage, Florus remains a historical and literary name, appearing in some European languages as a given name and, less commonly, as a surname. It is encountered in onomastic studies as an example of classical names that persisted into medieval and modern periods.