The town was initially named
San José de Calampaui, in honour of its
patron,
Saint Joseph. Floridablanca itself is derived from
Spanish and translates to "white flower,” with two versions of the name's origin. One version suggest that the town was named in honor of José María de Castillejo y Moñino, 3rd Count of Floridablanca (25 February 1826 – 1892), who inherited the title of
Condado de Floridablanca from the 2nd holder, his aunt María Vicenta Moñino y Pontejos, through his mother, María Ana. María Vicenta died in 1867 and thus José inherited the title; 1867 was also the year the town was renamed "Floridablanca". The rest of María Vicenta's titles devolved to her husband's family, the Marquesado de Miraflores, whose present holder married the granddaughter of
President Elpidio Quirino. The Moñino family is popularly remembered as reformists against abuses by the Church: the clan patriarch, the
first count also named José Moñino, secured from
Pope Clement XIII the
Suppression of the Society of Jesus in the reign of King
Charles III of Spain, in 1767, exactly a hundred years before the foundation of the town. The expulsion of the friars in 1867 from the Calampaui monastery and renaming of the estate to Floridablanca thus made sense. Another version of more credible origin suggests that the town was named after the white flowers of a
pandacaqui plant (
Tabernaemontana pandacaqui) that flourished in the area.
Florida means "flower" and
blanca means "white". ==History==