How to say it
FOR · rest
/ˈfɔːr.ɪst/
Masculine
Forrest
Woods, forest
What it means
An English word and surname name, for someone who lived or worked in the forest.
Forrest is a nature-and-occupation name from the word forest, given long ago to people who lived among or worked in the woods. The double-r spelling is the common given-name form, fixed in the popular mind by Forrest Gump and his run across America. It reads green, open, and gently old-fashioned, sitting beside River and Rowan. Plain and rooted.
Popularity over time
peaked at #173 in 1913, currently #374 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Spelling
Forrest (two r's) is the usual given-name spelling, as in Forrest Gump; Forest is the plain word.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Forrest Gump the wide-eyed hero of the 1994 film
Spelling variants
- Forest
- Forster
Names with the same feeling
See Forrest from another angle
By meaning