Forest

At a Glance: Name: Forest – Meaning: Wooded land; from Old French forest, adopted as an English surname and later used as a given name. – Origin: English – Gender: Boy – Pronunciation: FOR-ist

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Forest is a boy's name with English roots, coming from the Old French word for wooded land — it started out as a surname before parents began using it as a given name. It's pronounced FOR-ist. If you're picturing rolling woodlands when you hear it, that lines up with the name's actual origin.

Meaning & Origin of Forest

Meaning: Wooded land; from old french forest, adopted as an english surname and later used as a given name..

Origin: English.

Source: Wiktionary.

How to Pronounce Forest

Phonetic: FOR-ist   IPA: /ˈfɔːrɪst/

Popularity of Forest

Forest hit its highest popularity back in 1893, ranking #223 with 59 babies given the name that year. It's fallen since then, landing at #724 in 2024 with 361 babies — fewer boys in the top ranks overall, but more Forests by raw count than at its 1893 peak.

Source: U.S. Social Security Administration birth-name data, 1880–2024.

Make Forest Name Art

Free printable nursery art for Forest, pre-loaded below — pick a layout, palette, and font, then download a print-ready PNG.

Names With a Similar Story

Derived from shared style, era, and origin data (or, for names we have no style data for, a similar Social Security popularity trajectory) — not a hand-picked list.

• Alder
• Anson
• Arnett
• Ashon
• Birch
• Booker

FAQ

What does the name Forest mean?

Wooded land; from old french forest, adopted as an english surname and later used as a given name.. (Source: Wiktionary, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Forest)

How do you pronounce Forest?

Forest is pronounced FOR-ist (IPA: /ˈfɔːrɪst/).

Is Forest a popular name right now?

Forest peaked at #223 in 1893 and is ranked #724 as of 2024. (U.S. Social Security Administration data, 1880–2024.)

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