Forbes
Forbes is a surname and a rare given name. The surname derives from the Scottish Clan Forbes. Descendants of the Scottish clan have also been present in Ireland since the 17th century. The name of an unrelated Irish sept, Mac Fhirbhisigh or MacFirbis, was also anglicised as Forbes.
Meaning & Origin of Forbes
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Forbes is a surname and a rare given name. The surname derives from the Scottish Clan Forbes. Descendants of the Scottish clan have also been present in Ireland since the 17th century. The name of an unrelated Irish sept, Mac Fhirbhisigh or MacFirbis, was also anglicised as Forbes.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Forbes
Forbes first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1913, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1918, when 12 Forbess were born — ranking #2,398 that year. As of 2026, Forbes ranks #12,301 for baby boys with 5 births, holding steady (+0%). In total, more than 234 Forbess have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Forbes
Phonetically similar names — useful when Forbes is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Fours
- Fores
- Forb
- Forbs
- Forby
- Fars
- Farber
- Farb
- Fobs
- Farbe
- Farby
- Fobbs
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Forbes
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About the name Forbes
Forbes is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1913 and has accumulated 234 births in the dataset. Forbes's peak popularity came in 1918 when it ranked #2,398. Use the chart and map above to compare Forbes's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1918 →
- Names of the 1910s →
- Names starting with "F" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.