Boy name · Old French
Forrest
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: of the forestForrest is a boy's name that comes from Old French and means "of the forest". It is used in English.
- Meaning
- Of the forest
- Origin
- Old French
- Gender
- Boy
- US rank
- #374 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Forrest
As a boy's name, Forrest comes from Old French and means "of the forest". It is used in English.
Forrest is also a surname: the 1,593rd most common in the 2020 US Census, held by 21,977 people. See the most common last names.
Its meaning puts Forrest on our nature names list.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Forrest on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Forrest on 4 lists.
“From an old word for woodland; made for wandering”
From Redneck names for boys, outdoorsy country boy names
“Of the forest; Old French, a gentle outdoorsy surname”
From Cute boy names, cute nature names for boys
“Forest; an English surname for someone who lived by one. Once used in honor of a Confederate general, so some parents prefer Forest”
From Nature names, nature names for boys
“For someone living or working in a royal forest”
From Pretty last names, beautiful last names from nature
How popular is Forrest?
- US rank in 2025
- #374
- 850 babies, 498 per million boys
- Best rank
- #173 in 1913
- Most babies: 1,343 in 1994
- Babies since 1880
- At least 53,639
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 380 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 625 per million |
| 1900s | 663 per million |
| 1910s | 728 per million |
| 1920s | 627 per million |
| 1930s | 418 per million |
| 1940s | 302 per million |
| 1950s | 233 per million |
| 1960s | 186 per million |
| 1970s | 176 per million |
| 1980s | 189 per million |
| 1990s | 334 per million |
| 2000s | 87 per million |
| 2010s | 182 per million |
| 2020s | 441 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #632 | #593 | #570 | #492 | #462 | #414 | #403 | #424 | #407 | #374 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Names spelled like Forrest
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- ForestWoodland (English, boy)
- ForbesFrom Forbes in Aberdeenshire (Scottish place name, boy)
Names with a similar meaning
- SilviaOf the forest (Latin, girl)
- SilvioOf the forest (Latin, boy)
- LinForest; fine jade (depends on characters) (Chinese, unisex)
- OihanForest (Basque, boy)
- SelvaForest, jungle (Latin, girl)
- SilvestreOf the forest (Latin, boy)
- SylviaOf the forest (Latin, girl)
- SylvieOf the forest (Latin, girl)
- SylwiaOf the forest (Latin, girl)
Middle names for Forrest
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a shorter length, so the full name flows.
More boy names from Old French
- BellamyBeautiful friend (Old French, unisex)
- GrantGreat, large (Old French, boy)
- LyleIsland (Old French, boy)
- WallaceForeigner, Welshman (Old French, boy)
- AlgernonHaving a mustache (Old French, boy)
- ArcherBowman (Old French, boy)
- BaileySteward, bailiff (Old French, unisex)
- CorbinRaven (Old French, boy)
- CurtisCourteous (Old French, boy)
- DarrellFrom Airelle, a place in Normandy (Old French, boy)
Forrest: common questions
What does the name Forrest mean?
Forrest comes from Old French and means "of the forest".
Is Forrest a boy or girl name?
Forrest is mainly a boy's name. In 2025, 12 girls and 850 boys in the US were named Forrest, according to Social Security Administration data.
Where does the name Forrest come from?
Forrest comes from Old French and means "of the forest". Today it is used in English.
How popular is the name Forrest?
Forrest ranked #374 in the US in 2025, with 850 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What names are similar to Forrest?
Names spelled like Forrest include Forest and Forbes.
What middle names go with Forrest?
Middle names that flow well with Forrest include Alton, Ethan, Isaac, Lamar and Luke. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.