boys' name ★ peaked 1994

Forrest

Meaning English surname, from the noun forest Gender Boy · 2% girls Rank 2025 #374 Trend ↑ Rising 45%

English surname, from the noun forest.

Rank 2025
#374
among boys · ↑33 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
862
named Forrest · +7% vs 2024
How common
1 in 2,010
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1994
1,381 babies
All-time total
54,697
#486 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Forrest popularity over time

54,697 babies have been named Forrest 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
0.250.50.75118801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 18 416 434 43 – #200
1890s 67 713 780 78 +80% #175
1900s 54 900 954 95 +22% #182
1910s 129 4,860 4,989 499 +423% #173
1920s 141 6,910 7,051 705 +41% #178
1930s 90 4,421 4,511 451 -36% #238
1940s 86 4,500 4,586 459 +2% #275
1950s 88 4,710 4,798 480 +5% #312
1960s 25 3,589 3,614 361 -25% #379
1970s 47 2,906 2,953 295 -18% #447
1980s 53 3,489 3,542 354 +20% #438
1990s 137 6,502 6,639 664 +87% #217
2000s 5 1,741 1,746 175 -74% #697
2010s 39 3,413 3,452 345 +98% #492
2020s (to 2025) 79 4,569 4,648 775 +124% #374

Where Forrest 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 909 0.53 #359
2027 963 0.56 #342
2028 1,011 0.59 #335
2029 1,054 0.62 #324
2030 1,092 0.64 #312

Where Forrest is most popular

Boys named Forrest per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.455 per 1,000. Strongest in Maine, Montana, and Oregon.

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 Forrest 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
Maine 34 1.75 +285%
Montana 29 1.64 +261%
Oregon 82 1.08 +137%
Colorado 129 0.999 +120%
Washington 155 0.947 +108%
Iowa 65 0.943 +107%
Wisconsin 109 0.920 +102%
West Virginia 30 0.919 +102%
Idaho 37 0.904 +99%
Kentucky 90 0.897 +97%
Arkansas 56 0.885 +95%
Missouri 122 0.880 +93%
Oklahoma 74 0.837 +84%
Kansas 56 0.816 +79%
Tennessee 146 0.809 +78%
Vermont 5 0.796 +75%
Minnesota 95 0.774 +70%
Michigan 151 0.737 +62%
North Dakota 12 0.703 +55%
New Hampshire 15 0.676 +49%
Indiana 108 0.674 +48%
Alabama 73 0.668 +47%
Utah 60 0.629 +38%
Virginia 116 0.611 +34%
Arizona 99 0.605 +33%
North Carolina 151 0.591 +30%
Ohio 152 0.574 +26%
Mississippi 30 0.528 +16%
Louisiana 53 0.518 +14%
South Carolina 53 0.513 +13%
Georgia 122 0.482 +6%
Pennsylvania 124 0.467 ≈ national
Illinois 116 0.454 ≈ national
Alaska 5 0.420 -8%
Massachusetts 57 0.415 -9%
Nebraska 18 0.414 -9%
Nevada 23 0.403 -11%
California 340 0.372 -18%
New Mexico 11 0.334 -27%
Florida 157 0.332 -27%
South Dakota 6 0.322 -29%
Hawaii 5 0.322 -29%
Texas 282 0.320 -30%
Maryland 34 0.285 -37%
New York 103 0.238 -48%
Connecticut 14 0.207 -55%
New Jersey 10 0.050 -89%
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Rhode Island – – –
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 Forrest

Forrest is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #374 in 2025 with 850 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 54,697 American babies have been named Forrest. Its peak came in 1994, when 1,381 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1990s.

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 Forrest stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Forrest?

The median living Forrest is about 35 years old; half are between 15 and 62. An estimated 32 thousand people named Forrest are alive in the United States today.

median 35 020406080100

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

Forrest 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 #8,532 850 #374
2024 10 #9,793 794 #407
2023 21 #5,817 746 #424
2022 16 #7,085 794 #403
2021 11 #9,172 745 #414
2020 9 #10,544 640 #462
2019 5 #16,354 583 #492
2018 6 #14,402 484 #570
2017 9 #10,997 460 #593
2016 8 #12,138 423 #632
2015 – – 391 #660
2014 6 #15,223 338 #713
2013 5 #17,442 257 #834
2012 – – 154 #1,180
2011 – – 161 #1,126
2010 – – 162 #1,144
2009 – – 166 #1,113
2008 – – 129 #1,339
2007 – – 142 #1,238
2006 – – 147 #1,150
2005 – – 151 #1,097
2004 – – 158 #1,037
2003 – – 195 #878
2002 5 #16,295 194 #856
2001 – – 207 #809
2000 – – 252 #697
1995 22 #4,571 858 #309
1990 5 #13,680 542 #421
1985 – – 310 #492
1980 – – 333 #463
1975 7 #7,400 277 #480
1970 5 #8,392 311 #461
1965 – – 348 #419
1960 9 #4,562 400 #395
1955 7 #4,882 504 #329
1950 13 #2,950 458 #321
1945 6 #4,200 441 #285
1940 9 #3,047 407 #278
1935 9 #3,006 422 #264
1930 13 #2,465 532 #241
1925 5 #5,276 648 #212
1920 14 #2,507 792 #178
1915 10 #2,780 643 #176
1910 9 #1,679 103 #230
1905 – – 75 #221
1900 6 #1,810 66 #252
1895 7 #1,345 88 #181
1890 10 #891 56 #222
1885 – – 36 #279
1880 – – 36 #280

Famous people named Forrest

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

  1. 1 Forrest Smithson Forrest Smithson American athlete 1884–1962 · 19th century
  2. 2 Forrest Towns Forrest Towns American hurdler 1914–1991 · Contemporary
  3. 3 Forrest J Ackerman Forrest J Ackerman American writer and collector (1916–2008) Contemporary
  4. 4 Forrest Griffin Forrest Griffin American mixed martial artist b. 1979 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Forrest?

The median living Forrest is about 35 years old. Half of all living Forrests are between 15 and 62 years old.

How many people named Forrest are alive today?

An estimated 32 thousand people named Forrest are alive in the United States, based on 54,697 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Forrest mean?

English surname, from the noun forest.

How popular is the name Forrest in 2025?

Forrest ranked #374 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 850 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Forrest?

54,697 babies have been named Forrest in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Forrest most popular?

Forrest peaked in 1994, when 1,381 newborns received the name.

Is Forrest a boy or girl name?

Forrest is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 98% of babies with the name.

Is the name Forrest rising or falling?

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

Will Forrest become more popular?

Forrest is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 1,092 boys named Forrest in 2030, which would rank around #312. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Forrest?

Well-known people named Forrest include Forrest Smithson (athlete), Forrest Towns (athlete), Forrest J Ackerman (writer).

Names like Forrest

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

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