Forrester Surname

14,290th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 39,004 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
United States
Highest density in:
Norfolk Island

Forrester Surname Definition:

From the office of 'forest keeper,' ME. forester, forster. Archebaldus Forestar witnessed a grant by Gillemor filius Gilleconel to the church of Lesmahagow a. 1144 (Kelso, 187), and c. 1190 the house of William forestarius was one of the boundaries of the lands of the church of Molle (ibid.

Read More About This Surname

Forrester Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States18,2201:19,8932,504
England7,5121:7,4171,079
Australia3,6081:7,4821,107
Jamaica2,8911:993183
Canada2,0211:18,2312,579
Scotland1,7731:3,020544
South Africa5771:93,89611,466
New Zealand5341:8,4801,463
Wales2991:10,3501,147
Saudi Arabia1991:155,05422,057
Guyana1871:4,076729
Ireland1821:25,8732,425
Trinidad and Tobago1521:8,9741,278
Northern Ireland1281:14,4141,997
Grenada961:1,131214
Argentina831:514,98137,804
Costa Rica461:103,9151,734
Suriname321:17,2694,028
Germany311:2,596,950129,424
Panama311:126,2024,409
Brazil281:7,645,512174,288
Spain261:1,798,15550,469
Dominican Republic231:453,60614,824
Thailand221:3,210,834301,565
Venezuela221:1,372,91318,810
Netherlands191:888,79962,169
Singapore171:323,98313,856
Qatar161:147,37516,023
France131:5,109,440259,941
United Arab Emirates131:704,79025,221
Malaysia111:2,681,293102,971
Northern Mariana Islands111:4,962486
Antigua and Barbuda91:11,0191,084
Russia91:16,013,673414,297
Cayman Islands81:7,987922
Hong Kong81:916,9354,774
Saint Lucia81:22,3481,601
Belize71:50,7822,565
Switzerland71:1,173,27469,697
Denmark61:940,78647,603
Norfolk Island61:38264
Uruguay61:571,96026,877
Czechia51:2,126,694115,412
Jersey51:19,8403,614
Sweden51:1,969,351134,077
United States Virgin Islands51:22,0752,767
Angola41:6,747,3046,999
Isle of Man41:21,4563,601
Kuwait41:950,17418,811
Malawi41:4,279,77724,060
Portugal41:2,604,56016,079
South Korea41:12,810,0642,073
Austria31:2,838,47893,604
China31:455,773,85521,925
Italy31:20,385,563143,117
Mexico31:41,375,40271,397
Peru31:10,594,70845,902
Philippines31:33,746,074302,898
Afghanistan21:16,076,59243,178
Belgium21:5,748,322130,559
Ecuador21:7,952,92334,269
Israel21:4,278,817136,311
Norway21:2,571,14395,402
Saint Kitts and Nevis21:27,6001,126
Turkey21:38,910,711171,901
Aruba11:103,4772,586
Azerbaijan11:9,649,12247,873
Bahamas11:391,7512,737
Barbados11:287,4482,772
Cameroon11:20,769,068227,406
Chile11:17,616,47493,597
Cyprus11:884,87613,055
Equatorial Guinea11:1,135,674984
Estonia11:1,321,80440,178
Finland11:5,496,70284,025
Ghana11:27,020,69223,742
Greece11:11,079,790145,225
Guam11:160,1214,893
India11:767,065,3821,851,717
Indonesia11:132,249,194811,426
Japan11:127,844,29373,547
Kenya11:46,179,900103,372
Libya11:6,243,9746,186
Montserrat11:4,947471
Mozambique11:27,261,5697,432
Pakistan11:178,643,885213,220
Poland11:38,008,749231,653
Saint Martin11:35,156229
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines11:112,6591,704
Senegal11:14,579,34211,705
Tanzania11:52,941,613123,716
Turks and Caicos Islands11:34,329862
Uganda11:39,039,279258,887
Vietnam11:92,646,0548,382
Zambia11:15,849,92253,989
Zimbabwe11:15,438,240133,260
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland1381:32,1003,168
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England2,3701:10,2851,559
Scotland1,6521:2,266405
Wales331:47,5282,451
Isle of Man31:18,0901,402
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States1,7971:27,9463,429

Forrester (259) may also be a first name.

Forrester Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

From the office of 'forest keeper,' ME. forester, forster. Archebaldus Forestar witnessed a grant by Gillemor filius Gilleconel to the church of Lesmahagow a. 1144 (Kelso, 187), and c. 1190 the house of William forestarius was one of the boundaries of the lands of the church of Molle (ibid., 147). Marninus Forestarius held lands in the town of Dunipas c. 1200 (Cambus., 81). Robert the forester witnessed a resignation of lands in Annandale a. 1245 (Bain, I, 1682), and John le Forester of Berwickshire rendered homage in 1296 (ibid., II, p. 209). Moris le Forester was one of the inquisition on the lands of Sir John de Calentir in 1303—4 (ibid., II, 1457), and William Forrester appears in the muster-roll of the Peel of Linlithgow in 1311—12 (ibid., III). The Forresters of Garden were long one of the most powerful families of Stirlingshire, and persons of the name were Prominent in the municipal affairs of Stirling from 1360 to 1654 (Gibson, Lairds, p. 157—159). Robert Forrester was bailie of Stirling in 1360. Thomas Frostar was prebendarius of Dulmaok in 1427 (REA., I, p. 227). In Edinburgh a family of the name were among the most ancient representatives of the bergher nobility in the fourteenth century, "not unlike the citizen nobles of Florence and other mediaeval republics." In 1373, before the office of provost was known, Adam Forrester appears as alderman of Edinbergh. In 1376 he acquired the manor of Corstorphine (RMS., I, 604), in the church of which his memorial tablet may yet be read. He was founder of the family of Forrester, Lord Forrester (Sc. Peer., V, p. 80—100). The town house of the family in Edinbergh gave name to Forrester's Wynd, now cleared away. Alexander fforester who witnessed an instrument of sasine in 1711 signs his name 'Alexander Foster' (Hunter, p. 70). Forastir (1521), Forester, Forrest, Forrester, Forster, Forster, Foryster (1663), Forstare (1428), Fostar; Froster.

The Surnames of Scotland (1946) by George Fraser Black (1866-1948)

= Forester, q.v.

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

(English) A forest warden, or gamekeeper, a manor official.

Dictionary of American Family Names (1956) by Elsdon Coles Smith

A curt pronunciation of Forester. There are many families of this name of separate origins. The Durham family were characterized as The Friendly Forsters.

Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

A woodman.

An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names (1857) by William Arthur

Vitalis, Rualen, Geoffry, Hugo, Radulphus Forestarius, and four others, of Normandy, 1180-95; and Geoffry, Gilbert, Hugh, Lambert, Vivian Forestarius, 1198 (Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae). Several of these appear in England (Rotuli Curiae Regis). Fifteen or twenty of the name occur here, c. 1272, bearing Norman Christian names (RII). Of this name were the Lords Forrester of Scotland.

The Norman People (1874)

Forster,Foster. —This surname, in its two forms, is widely distributed over England, being however absent or rare in the three eastern counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex, and in the south - west of England. Forster is essentially the north country form, being especially numerous in Northumberland. Foster is the form characteristic of the rest of England, being particularly frequent in Notts. The north of England, however, is the principal home of the name, the two varieties occurring in Northumberland in the proportion of 107 per 10,000 of the population. Curiously enough, it has found no permanent home in Scotland.

Homes of Family Names in Great Britain (1890) by Henry Brougham Guppy

Forrester Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name Forrester Come From? nationality or country of origin

The surname Forrester (Russian: Форрестер) is found most frequently in The United States. It can be rendered as a variant:. Click here to see other possible spellings of Forrester.

How Common Is The Last Name Forrester? popularity and diffusion

The last name Forrester is the 14,290th most frequently occurring family name on a worldwide basis It is held by approximately 1 in 186,841 people. This last name occurs mostly in The Americas, where 58 percent of Forrester reside; 48 percent reside in North America and 48 percent reside in Anglo-North America. It is also the 553,262nd most commonly used forename internationally, held by 259 people.

The last name Forrester is most widespread in The United States, where it is carried by 18,220 people, or 1 in 19,893. In The United States it is most common in: Georgia, where 9 percent reside, California, where 8 percent reside and Florida, where 7 percent reside. Barring The United States it occurs in 95 countries. It also occurs in England, where 19 percent reside and Australia, where 9 percent reside.

Forrester Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The prevalency of Forrester has changed through the years. In The United States the number of people carrying the Forrester last name expanded 1,014 percent between 1880 and 2014; in England it expanded 317 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Scotland it expanded 107 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Wales it expanded 906 percent between 1881 and 2014 and in Ireland it expanded 132 percent between 1901 and 2014.

Forrester Last Name Statistics demography

The religious adherence of those holding the Forrester last name is primarily Catholic (46%) in Ireland.

In The United States those bearing the Forrester last name are 17.96% more likely to be registered Republicans than The US average, with 64.73% being registered with the party.

The amount Forrester earn in different countries varies greatly. In South Africa they earn 60.72% more than the national average, earning R 381,924 per year; in United States they earn 0.16% more than the national average, earning $43,219 USD per year and in Canada they earn 2.05% more than the national average, earning $50,702 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

SurnameSimilarityWorldwide IncidencePrevalency
Forrestier95112/
Forriester958/
Forrrester958/
Forrestter954/
Foorrester952/
Forresteer952/
Forrestere951/
Forresteir950/
Forester948,750/
Forreste9421/
Forreter943/
Forestier8914,602/
Forrister89644/
Forreiter89273/
Farrester8957/
Forrieter8925/
Foerester8921/
Foriester8915/
Foresther896/
Ferrester893/
Foresster892/
Forestere892/
Foresteir891/
Forretter891/
Forrestte890/
Forestter890/
Forrestir890/
Foreaster890/
Foreste881,325/
Foreter880/
Fourestier84257/
Foresteire8488/
Farriester8475/
Foirestier8461/
Forristher841/
Forister82568/
Forrette82393/
Foraster82195/
Foreiter82145/
Foretier82144/
Forestie8289/
Farester8272/
Forestre8234/
Ferester8223/
Forresta823/
Foryster823/
Foureste823/
Forestes823/
Foreater821/
Forresty821/
Forresti821/
Forejter821/
Forestet821/
Forresté821/
Forestea820/
Foroster820/
Forete806/
Forestheart801/
Vorreiter78935/
Forastier78237/
Farrister7837/
Vorreuter7821/
Fourestie7821/
Fariester7815/
Forraiter7811/
Fouretier7811/
Furestier7810/
Forrajter786/
Forethier786/
Fureyster785/
Forestire785/
Forisster783/
Forestedt783/
Fureister783/
Vorrieter782/
Foresthey782/
Ferrister781/
Vorreater781/
Vorretter781/
Farraster781/
Foristher781/
Forrestis780/
Forryther780/
Forgetter780/
Forristir780/
Vorrether780/
Foresti756,992/
Foresta753,024/
Forreta7566/
Forette7551/
Foresty7530/
Foriter754/
Farrete751/
Foryter751/
Fourete751/
Foriste751/
Fourastier7419/
Vorreither743/
Vorreuther743/
Faurestier741/
Fouristier740/
Forgette711,069/
Forajter71319/
Furister7153/
Forestti7145/
Forayter7145/
Forysthe7129/
Voreiter7111/
Foraiter717/
Farresta713/
Farrette712/
Farriter712/
Farister712/
Faureste712/
Faraster711/
Fourette711/
Vorister711/
Forestis711/
Ferister711/
Foressti711/
Feroster710/
Foreythe710/
Furezter710/
Faretter710/
Forite67107/
Farastier6752/
Verraster6719/
Foreti6718/
Forgeette672/
Pherester671/
Farete671/
Foreta671/
Forety671/
Phorretes670/
Fareszthe670/

Forrester Name Transliterations

TransliterationICU LatinPercentage of Incidence
Forrester in the Russian language
Форрестерforrester-

Search for Another Surname

The name statistics are still in development, sign up for information on more maps and data

By signing up to the mailing list you will only receive emails specifically about name reference on Forebears and your information will not be distributed to 3rd parties.

Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Forrester
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis