Forest
Forest is a boys' name of English origin meaning “dweller near or in the woods.” It ranked #750 in the United States in 2025. An English occupational or topographic surname denoting someone who lived near a forest.
how do you pronounce Forest?
FOR-est
Hear it spoken aloud with our AI pronunciation tool.
what does Forest mean?
The name Forest means “dweller near or in the woods.” It comes from the English language tradition.
An English occupational or topographic surname denoting someone who lived near a forest. Popularized as a first name in part by the film Forrest Gump (1994), though the single-r spelling Forest predates it.
where does the name Forest come from?
Wiktionary derives the Forest surname from the word forest itself, comparing it to Laforest and Deforest, and notes it is also an English and Scottish surname that is a variant of Forrest. Wikipedia confirms Forest is used as both a French surname and a given name but gives no further breakdown of its meaning. Nothing here specifically supports the dweller near or in the woods gloss beyond the general connection to the word forest.
the history of Forest
Both sources describe Forest primarily as a surname; nothing here confirms a specific history of its rise as a first name or its connection to the film Forrest Gump.
how popular is this name?
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 2025 | #750 |
| 2024 | #720 |
| 2023 | #746 |
| 2022 | #704 |
| 2021 | #718 |
| 2020 | #798 |
Source: SSA National Baby Names Dataset
what are the nicknames and variants of Forest?
Variants around the world
who are famous people named Forest?
- Forest Whitaker (actor)
- Forrest Gump (film character)
what names are similar to Forest?
what names go well with Forest?
Sibling names that share Forest's rhythm and register without echoing it too closely.
Last reviewed April 30, 2026 · Curated by HushName editorial
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