boys' name ★ peaked 2022

Forest

Meaning forest Gender Boy · 3% girls Rank 2025 #750 Trend ↑ Rising 47%

French surname, from Old French forest (“forest”).

Rank 2025
#750
among boys · ↓30 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
356
named Forest · -7% vs 2024
How common
1 in 4,965
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2022
391 babies
All-time total
18,377
#883 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Forest popularity over time

18,377 babies have been named Forest since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.190.380.560.7518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 298 298 30 – #257
1890s 68 470 538 54 +81% #223
1900s 22 541 563 56 +5% #235
1910s 98 2,125 2,223 222 +295% #287
1920s 88 2,562 2,650 265 +19% #341
1930s 16 1,493 1,509 151 -43% #402
1940s 15 1,276 1,291 129 -14% #491
1950s 13 1,037 1,050 105 -19% #648
1960s 5 779 784 78 -25% #799
1970s 25 758 783 78 0% #858
1980s 22 787 809 81 +3% #884
1990s 76 1,467 1,543 154 +91% #655
2000s – 657 657 66 -57% #1,481
2010s 47 1,448 1,495 150 +128% #905
2020s (to 2025) 98 2,086 2,184 364 +143% #704

Where Forest is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 368 0.22 outside top 500
2027 390 0.23 outside top 500
2028 409 0.24 outside top 500
2029 427 0.25 outside top 500
2030 442 0.26 outside top 500

Where Forest is most popular

Boys named Forest per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.208 per 1,000. Strongest in Oregon, Maine, and Washington.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Forest born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Oregon 69 0.909 +337%
Maine 11 0.567 +173%
Washington 92 0.562 +171%
Wisconsin 60 0.506 +144%
Colorado 65 0.504 +142%
Utah 37 0.388 +87%
Tennessee 68 0.377 +81%
Kentucky 37 0.369 +77%
Michigan 63 0.308 +48%
Oklahoma 27 0.305 +47%
Missouri 42 0.303 +46%
Nevada 16 0.281 +35%
Indiana 44 0.274 +32%
New Hampshire 6 0.270 +30%
Ohio 68 0.257 +23%
California 229 0.251 +21%
Minnesota 30 0.245 +18%
Massachusetts 33 0.240 +15%
North Carolina 56 0.219 +6%
Virginia 41 0.216 ≈ national
Arizona 34 0.208 ≈ national
Idaho 8 0.195 -6%
Pennsylvania 45 0.169 -18%
Illinois 43 0.168 -19%
Arkansas 10 0.158 -24%
West Virginia 5 0.153 -26%
Georgia 37 0.146 -30%
Florida 69 0.146 -30%
Texas 118 0.134 -36%
Maryland 15 0.126 -39%
New York 48 0.111 -47%
Iowa 6 0.087 -58%
Kansas 5 0.073 -65%
New Jersey 12 0.060 -71%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Louisiana – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Mexico – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Forest

Forest is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #750 in 2025 with 344 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 18,377 American babies have been named Forest. Its peak came in 2022, when 391 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Forest stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Forest?

The median living Forest is about 30 years old; half are between 6 and 54. An estimated 9,600 people named Forest are alive in the United States today.

median 30 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Forest year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 12 #8,531 344 #750
2024 19 #6,245 365 #720
2023 23 #5,446 350 #746
2022 16 #7,084 375 #704
2021 13 #8,182 361 #718
2020 15 #7,334 291 #798
2019 17 #6,818 243 #905
2018 8 #11,777 212 #979
2017 11 #9,532 201 #1,008
2016 6 #14,948 178 #1,102
2015 5 #17,346 135 #1,309
2014 – – 132 #1,325
2013 – – 104 #1,537
2012 – – 76 #1,898
2011 – – 84 #1,743
2010 – – 83 #1,785
2009 – – 67 #2,058
2008 – – 79 #1,844
2007 – – 69 #2,021
2006 – – 47 #2,551
2005 – – 62 #2,016
2004 – – 55 #2,142
2003 – – 69 #1,751
2002 – – 67 #1,728
2001 – – 59 #1,876
2000 – – 83 #1,481
1995 11 #7,690 205 #749
1990 – – 97 #1,084
1985 – – 48 #1,419
1980 6 #9,451 103 #884
1975 7 #7,399 76 #942
1970 – – 72 #943
1965 – – 87 #799
1960 – – 90 #807
1955 – – 104 #717
1950 – – 115 #648
1945 5 #4,774 111 #577
1940 – – 124 #521
1935 5 #4,445 129 #506
1930 – – 206 #409
1925 11 #3,006 251 #376
1920 9 #3,429 292 #343
1915 10 #2,779 252 #333
1910 5 #2,548 65 #304
1905 5 #2,051 56 #264
1900 – – 53 #285
1895 – – 52 #249
1890 10 #890 37 #285
1885 – – 30 #310
1880 – – 30 #308

Famous people named Forest

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Forest Whitaker Forest Whitaker American actor (born 1961) Contemporary
  2. 2 Forest Ray Moulton Forest Ray Moulton American astronomer 1872–1952 · 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Forest, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Forest?

The median living Forest is about 30 years old. Half of all living Forests are between 6 and 54 years old.

How many people named Forest are alive today?

An estimated 9,600 people named Forest are alive in the United States, based on 18,377 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Forest mean?

French surname, from Old French forest (“forest”).

How popular is the name Forest in 2025?

Forest ranked #750 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 344 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Forest?

18,377 babies have been named Forest in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Forest most popular?

Forest peaked in 2022, when 391 newborns received the name.

Is Forest a boy or girl name?

Forest is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 97% of babies with the name.

Is the name Forest rising or falling?

Forest is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Forest become more popular?

Forest is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 442 boys named Forest in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Forest?

Well-known people named Forest include Forest Whitaker (actor), Forest Ray Moulton (astronomer).

Names like Forest

Names that sound and feel close to Forest: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Forest with similar names → More names starting with F →