Forrest is a boy name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Forrest means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Forrest across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Forrest has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Forrest is a boy name of Old English origin meaning “of the forest”. From an English surname for someone who lived by woods.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 54,697 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 678 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 41 births |
| Northern Ireland since 1997 | 3 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 3 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Forrest per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1994 (1,381/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2025 (87/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2019 (6/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2019 (3/yr) · Northern Ireland peaked in 2020 (3/yr).
Forrest has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1994, when it ranked #431 nationally (given to 1,381 babies that year).
Forest · Frost · Forrestt · Forestt
Not sure if it's the one? The best way to know is to see if your partner loves it too. Swipe baby names with your partner and match on the ones you both ❤️, free, no account needed to start.
Find your name together →