Explore the Family Name Forrest
The meaning of Forrest
1. English: topographic name for someone who lived in or near a royal forest, or a metonymic occupational name for a keeper or worker in one. Middle English forest was not, as today, a near-synonym of wood, but referred specifically to a large area of woodland reserved by law for the purposes of hunting by the king and his nobles. The same applied to the European cognates, both ancient Germanic and Romance. The English word is from Middle English forest ‘forest’, Old French forest, Late Latin forestis (silva). This is generally taken to be a derivative of foris ‘outside’; the reference was probably to woods lying outside a settlement. On the other hand, Middle High German for(e)st has been held to be a derivative of Old High German foraha ‘fir’ (see Forster), with the addition of a collective suffix. 2. Irish: this name is also frequently attested in Ireland, where it may be a variant of Forrestal.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Forrest in the United States?
The surname Forrest, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data, experienced a slight dip in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked 1,474 out of all surnames, but by 2010, it had slipped to 1,569, marking a decrease of 6.45 percent. Despite this slip in rank, the actual count of individuals bearing the surname Forrest grew from 22,124 in 2000 to 22,954 in 2010, indicating a modest increase of 3.75 percent. However, when considering the proportion per 100,000 people, the surname Forrest fell from 8.2 in 2000 to 7.78 in 2010, representing a decline of 5.12 percent.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,474 | #1,569 | -6.45% |
| Count | 22,124 | 22,954 | 3.75% |
| Proportion per 100k | 8.2 | 7.78 | -5.12% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Forrest
When examining the ethnic identity associated with the surname Forrest, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals several changes between 2000 and 2010. The percentage of those who identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, Two or more races, Hispanic, Black, and American Indian and Alaskan Native all increased over this period. Specifically, the group identifying as Two or more races saw the most significant increase, jumping from 1.55 percent in 2000 to 2.44 percent in 2010—a 57.42 percent rise. Meanwhile, those identifying as White decreased from 76.03 percent to 73.39 percent, recording a drop of 3.47 percent. However, despite this decline, the White category still represents the majority ethnicity for those carrying the Forrest surname.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 76.03% | 73.39% | -3.47% |
| Black | 19.64% | 20.34% | 3.56% |
| Hispanic | 1.59% | 2.46% | 54.72% |
| Two or More Races | 1.55% | 2.44% | 57.42% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.66% | 0.73% | 10.61% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.53% | 0.64% | 20.75% |
Forrest ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Forrest is British & Irish, which comprises 55.2% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (20.4%) and Ashkenazi Jewish (5.1%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Eastern European, Italian, Nigerian, and Spanish & Portuguese.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 55.2% |
| French & German | 20.4% |
| Ashkenazi Jewish | 5.1% |
| Other | 19.3% |
Possible origins of the surname Forrest
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Forrest have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 85.60% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 85.60% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 85.60% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 85.40% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 85.30% |
What Forrest haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Forrest is R-M405, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-M405 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-CTS241 and R-P311, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Barnes, Bennett, Simons, Lloyd, Harrison, Davis, Morris, West, Smith, Atkinson.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Forrest surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343
Your paternal lineage may be linked to King Louis XVI
The rule of France by men of the House of Bourbon began with King Henri IV in 1589 C.E. and continued until the beheading of his direct paternal descendant King Louis XVI in 1793. Several years ago, researchers analyzed a mummified head and a blood-soaked cloth that they believed might belong to the two kings, and concluded that the royal paternal line belonged to haplogroup G. In a more recent study, however, a different set of researchers tested three living men who are direct descendants of the Bourbon kings. Their efforts revealed that the male lineage of the House of Bourbon is actually a branch of haplogroup R-M405.
Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Forrest have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Forrest" Surname 46.8%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Forrest" Surname 24.4%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Forrest" Surname 14.0%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Forrest" Surname 15.7%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Forrest?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Forrest are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition