ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 1887 First Year 2026 Last Year 1994 Peak Year #872 Peak Rank 1K Total Count 106 Years Active 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Forrest What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. Forrest is a masculine given name. Notable persons with the name include:Forrest (singer) (1953–2013), born Forrest Thomas, American singer popular in the UK and Netherlands Forrest J. Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forrest%5F%28given%5Fname%29) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forrest%5F%28given%5Fname%29) ### Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name) * English 📖 ## The Story of Forrest Forrest first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 36 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1994: 1,343 births, good for #217 nationwide. As of 2026, Forrest ranks #392 for baby boys with 822 births, rising sharply (+36% over the past five years). All told, over 54K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time ## Popularity by State ME WA MT ND MN WI MI NY VT NH MA OR ID SD IA IL IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA NV WY NE MO KY WV VA MD DE DC UT CO KS AR TN NC SC AK AZ NM OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL Top 10 11-50 51-100 101-500 500+ No data 🔗 ## Variants & Related Forms of Forrest Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Forrest. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Forest](/forest) 🎶 ## Names that sound like Forrest Phonetically similar names — useful when Forrest is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Forest](/forest) * Fairest * Forced * Forests * Forst * [Forester](/forester) * [Forrester](/forrester) * Florest * Forres * Afforest * Forestay * Florist Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Forrest What does the name Forrest mean? Forrest is a masculine given name. Notable persons with the name include:Forrest (singer) (1953–2013), born Forrest Thomas, American singer popular in the UK and Netherlands Forrest J. What is the origin of the name Forrest? Forrest has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English. How popular is Forrest in 2026? In 2026, Forrest ranks #392 among boys' names in the U.S., with 822 babies given the name that year. When was Forrest most popular? Forrest reached its peak popularity in 1994, ranking #173 that year with 1,343 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is Forrest most popular? Forrest has historically been most popular in Colorado, Washington, Indiana. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Forrest. Is Forrest a unisex name? In U.S. Social Security records, Forrest is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name. What names go well with Forrest? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Forrest include Pete, Nick, Tucker. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. What are nicknames or variants of Forrest? Common variants and related forms of Forrest include Forest. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms. ## Similar Names [👧DilliePeak #872](/dillie)[👧NinniePeak #872](/ninnie)[👧ElbertaPeak #872](/elberta)[👧EllamaePeak #872](/ellamae)[👧EvonPeak #872](/evon)[👧MerrileePeak #873](/merrilee)[👧TanjaPeak #871](/tanja)[👧DanyellPeak #871](/danyell) ## About the name Forrest Forrest is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 54K births in the dataset. Forrest's peak popularity came in 1994 when it ranked #173\. Use the chart and map above to compare Forrest's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 1994 → ](/year/1994) * [ Names of the 1990s → ](/decade/1990s) * [ Names starting with "F" → ](/letter/f) * [ Browse all boy names → ](/names/boys) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). 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 ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). 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.