Forrest
Forrest was the 374th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 850 babies. Its best year was 1913, when it ranked 173rd; the most babies were born in 1994 (1,343). Over the last ten years it has moved up 286 places. More babies were named Forrest in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning forest · English, Old French
Say it FOR-ist /ˈfɔrɪst/
- Rank in 2025
- #374 boys, up 88 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 850boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19941,343 babies
- Total since 1880
- 54,697babies recorded
What does the name Forrest mean?
Forrest is an English surname for someone who lived or worked in a forest, in the medieval sense of royal hunting land. Bardsley explains it as "at the forest", with Yorkshire records from the 1370s. In the US it was helped by Confederate general Nathan Bedford Forrest and later by the film Forrest Gump (1994).
forest (Old French, “forest, royal hunting ground”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Forest, Forester.
See also: English names, names that mean tree.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Forrest', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (1901), s.v. 'Forrest', Henry Frowde (public domain; Internet Archive scan)
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'forrest', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
Forrest popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 1,058 since 1887, 12 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #374 | 850 |
| 2020 | #462 | 640 |
| 2010 | #1,144 | 162 |
| 2000 | #697 | 252 |
| 1990 | #421 | 542 |
| 1980 | #463 | 333 |
| 1970 | #461 | 311 |
| 1960 | #395 | 400 |
| 1950 | #321 | 458 |
| 1940 | #278 | 407 |
| 1930 | #241 | 532 |
| 1920 | #178 | 792 |
| 1910 | #230 | 103 |
| 1900 | #252 | 66 |
| 1890 | #222 | 56 |
| 1880 | #280 | 36 |
How popular is Forrest, counting every spelling?
Forrest is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #294 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #374 for Forrest on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,194 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forrest | 850 | #374 | 3,929 |
| Forest | 344 | #750 | 1,795 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Forrest?
850 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Forrest (0.24 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Forrest born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 10 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Forrest.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Forrest?
About 30,300 people born in the US named Forrest are alive today, with a median age of 35; half are between 14 and 60. That makes Forrest mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Forrest by state
How common Forrest was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Maine (3.9×), Montana (3.6×), Oregon (2.4×), Colorado (2.2×), Washington (2.1×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in New Jersey, Connecticut, New York.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Forrest: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Forrest, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Forrest · Sibling names for Forrest
Questions about the name Forrest
What does Forrest mean?
Forrest means “forest” (English, Old French origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Forrest?
Forrest was the 374th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 850 babies. Its best year was 1913, when it ranked 173rd; the most babies were born in 1994 (1,343). Over the last ten years it has moved up 286 places. More babies were named Forrest in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Forrest a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Forrest in the US.
Where is Forrest most popular?
In 2021–2025, Forrest was most common in Maine (1.75 per 1,000 boys), followed by Montana and Oregon.