boy's name
Forrest
FOR-est
- Origin English
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 7
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 56,408
the United States
#374
2025 births
Forrest is one of only two names in this group our data marks as rising, and it is on its second life — American births ran 490 in 2018 and 862 in 2025, having collapsed from a 1994 peak twenty years before.
- Forrest is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 1994, when 1,381 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 3,846 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Forrest over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 434 |
| 1890s | 780 |
| 1900s | 954 |
| 1910s | 4,989 |
| 1920s | 7,051 |
| 1930s | 4,511 |
| 1940s | 4,586 |
| 1950s | 4,798 |
| 1960s | 3,614 |
| 1970s | 2,953 |
| 1980s | 3,542 |
| 1990s | 6,639 |
| 2000s | 1,746 |
| 2010s | 3,452 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 4,648 |
What Forrest means
Forrest means someone who lived by or worked in a forest. The doubled r marks it as a surname rather than the ordinary English word, which is spelled with one.
Where Forrest comes from
Forrest is an English surname from the Old French forest, itself from the Latin forestis silva — the outside wood. A forest in medieval law was not defined by trees at all but by jurisdiction: land placed outside common law and reserved for the king's hunting, which is why the New Forest is largely heath. The doubled r is the surname convention that keeps the name visibly distinct from the common noun.
Forrest in use
Forrest peaked in the United States in 1994, when 1,381 babies were registered, and our data marks it rising. The curve is worth reading in full: births climbed steadily from 414 in 1988 to 970 in 1993 before the peak, then fell to 880, 439 and 377 in the three years after — a rise already well underway, accelerated for one year, then given up faster than it was gained. Its second climb is separate and current, from 490 in 2018 to 862 in 2025. It now ranks 374th in the United States on 862 births, 475th in England and Wales on 87 and 491st in Scotland on 6, across 56,408 lifetime births in four of the seven markets we track.
How popular is Forrest?
In 2025, Forrest was given to 862 babies in the United States, ranking #374 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Forrest is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Forrest
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Forrest also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Forrest over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Forrest in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Forrest
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Forrest — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Forrest
What does the name Forrest mean?
Someone who lived by a forest — the Old French forest, from the Latin for the outside wood.
Is it Forrest or Forest?
The doubled r is the surname spelling; the ordinary noun takes one.
Why is the New Forest mostly heath?
A medieval forest was a legal jurisdiction reserved for royal hunting, not a description of trees.
Is Forrest rising?
Yes — from 490 American births in 2018 to 862 in 2025, a second climb after its 1994 peak.
How popular is the name Forrest?
In 2025, Forrest was given to 862 babies in the United States, ranking #374 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Forrest a girl's or a boy's name?
Forrest is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Forrest?
Forrest has 2 syllables.
When was Forrest most popular?
Forrest peaked in 1994, when 1,381 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
Is Forrest a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Forrest currently ranks #374 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.