Forest Family History

Forest Surname Meaning

French: topographic name for someone who lived in or near a royal forest or a metonymic occupational name for a keeper or worker in one from Old French forest ‘forest’; or a habitational name from (La) Forest the name of several places in various parts of France.

Unlike modern French forêt, forest was not simply a word for extensive woodland but referred specifically to large wooded areas reserved by law for the king and his nobles to hunt in (see also English Forrest).

Compare Deforest and Laforest. English and Scottish: variant of Forrest, a cognate of 1 above.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022

Similar surnames: Foret, Fones, Laforest, Forrest, Forester, Forse, Fares, Deforest, Forbess, Mores

105K	Birth, Marriage, and Deaths
15K	Military Records
8K	Immigration Records
99K	Census and Voter Lists
225K	Member Trees

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Where is the Forest family from?

You can see how Forest families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Forest family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Forest families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 1,045 Forest families living in Quebec. This was about 68% of all the recorded Forest's in Canada. Quebec had the highest population of Forest families in 1911.

Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Forest surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Forest

What did your Forest ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Cultivateur and Revenue were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Forest. 19% of Forest men worked as a Cultivateur and 10% of Forest women worked as a Revenue. Some less common occupations for Americans named Forest were Fils de cultivateur and Cultivateur.

View Census Data for Forest

Data not to scale

We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Cultivateur

19%

Farmer

12%

Journalier

Fils de cultivateur

Revenue

10%

religieuse

10%

Stenographer

Cultivateur

What Forest family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 99K census records available for the last name Forest. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Forest census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Forest

Passenger List

There are 8K immigration records available for the last name Forest. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Forest immigration records

Military Records

There are 15K military records available for the last name Forest. For the veterans among your Forest ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Forest military records

You've only scratched the surface of Forest family history

Discover More

What is the average Forest lifespan?

Between 1942 and 2004, in the United States, Forest life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1949, and highest in 2002. The average life expectancy for Forest in 1942 was 37, and 72 in 2004.

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Forest family tree

Explore Your Tree

Search for another surname

Forest Surname Meaning

Compare Deforest and Laforest. English and Scottish: variant of Forrest, a cognate of 1 above.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022

Where is the Forest family from?

What did your Forest ancestors do for a living?

Data not to scale

We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Cultivateur

19%

Farmer

12%

Journalier

Fils de cultivateur

Revenue

10%

religieuse

10%

Stenographer

Cultivateur

What Forest family records will you find?

What is the average Forest lifespan?

Between 1942 and 2004, in the United States, Forest life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1949, and highest in 2002. The average life expectancy for Forest in 1942 was 37, and 72 in 2004.

Forest Family History

Forest Surname Meaning

453,000 record(s) for Forest

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Where is the Forest family from?

What did your Forest ancestors do for a living?

Top Male Occupations In 1921

Top Female Occupations In 1921

What Forest family records will you find?

Census Record

Passenger List

Military Records

You've only scratched the surface of Forest family history

What is the average Forest lifespan?

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Forest family tree

Search for another surname

Forest Surname Meaning

453,000 record(s) for Forest

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Where is the Forest family from?

What did your Forest ancestors do for a living?

Top Male Occupations In 1921

Top Female Occupations In 1921

What Forest family records will you find?

Census Record

Passenger List

Military Records

You've only scratched the surface of Forest family history

What is the average Forest lifespan?

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Forest family tree

Search for another surname