Explore the Family Name Forbush

The meaning of Forbush

1. Scottish: altered form of Forbes, which was traditionally pronounced as two syllables. This surname is now rare in Britain. 2. Altered form of German Vorbusch, a topographic name for someone living on the edge of a wood, from vor ‘in front of’ + North German Busch ‘wood, bush’.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Forbush in the United States?

According to the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Forbush has seen an increase in its popularity in the United States from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, Forbush ranked 17,734 in terms of surname prevalence, with a total count of 1,457 and a proportion per 100,000 people of 0.54. Ten years later, in 2010, the ranking improved to 16,734, with a total count of 1,709 and a proportion per 100,000 people of 0.58. This represents a rank change of 5.64% and a growth in count of 17.3%.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#17,734	#16,734	5.64%
Count	1,457	1,709	17.3%
Proportion per 100k	0.54	0.58	7.41%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Forbush

When it comes to ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census reveals that the majority of individuals with the Forbush surname identified as White in both 2000 and 2010, though there was a slight decrease of about 3% over the decade. The percentage of those identifying as Black or belonging to two or more races also grew, with increases of 33.67% and 31.07%, respectively. The data also shows a notable uptick in the number of Forbush individuals identifying as Hispanic, with an increase of 75%. There were no recorded changes for those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native.

	2000	2010	Change
White	93.07%	90.29%	-2.99%
Black	3.98%	5.32%	33.67%
Hispanic	1.44%	2.52%	75%
Two or More Races	1.03%	1.35%	31.07%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%