Explore the Family Name Forward
The meaning of Forward
English: 1. perhaps from Middle English for(e)ward, forthward ‘agreement, contract, pledge’. It might have been given to someone who negotiated agreements or who acted as a pledge for another person. 2. perhaps sometimes a metathesized form of Middle English froward, fraward ‘contrary, unruly, willful, perverse’. Alternatively, this may be a nickname from Middle English for(e)ward ‘forward, advanced’. It is not until the 16th century that the word is recorded meaning ‘ready, eager, precocious, presumptuous’, but perhaps it already had some of these senses in Middle English.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Forward in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Forward experienced a slight decline between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Forward was ranked as the 16,400th most popular surname in the United States, and by 2010, it had dropped to the 16,953rd position, reflecting a change of -3.37%. Despite this decrease in rank, the actual count of individuals with the surname Forward increased by 3.77% from 1,616 in 2000 to 1,677 in 2010. However, when considering the proportion per 100k people, the presence of the surname Forward decreased by 5%, moving from 0.6 to 0.57.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #16,400 | #16,953 | -3.37% |
| Count | 1,616 | 1,677 | 3.77% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.6 | 0.57 | -5% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Forward
As for the ethnicity associated with the surname Forward, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals some fluctuations between 2000 and 2010. The majority of the individuals bearing the surname Forward identified as White, though their percentage saw a minor decline from 77.78% to 73.52%. The percentage of those identifying as Black increased slightly from 19.80% to 21.05%. There was a significant increase in the percentage of people with this surname identifying as Hispanic, jumping from 0.37% to 2.03%. Those identifying as having two or more ethnic identities also showed a substantial rise from 1.05% to 2.50%. Meanwhile, the percentage of individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native declined and rose slightly, respectively.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 77.78% | 73.52% | -5.48% |
| Black | 19.8% | 21.05% | 6.31% |
| Two or More Races | 1.05% | 2.5% | 138.1% |
| Hispanic | 0.37% | 2.03% | 448.65% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.43% | 0.48% | 11.63% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.56% | 0.42% | -25% |