Forbus
A masculine given name derived from the Germanic name Forbes.
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Forbus. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Forbus today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Forbus births was 1920 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Forbus. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Forbus. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1920
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1920 SSA rank
#4,540
Tracked since 1920
Popularity
Forbus: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Forbus by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Forbus during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Forbus
The given name Forbus has its origins in the Germanic language family, specifically tracing back to the Old Norse and Old English languages. It is believed to be derived from the Old Norse word "for" meaning "journey" or "to travel," combined with the Old English word "bus" meaning "dwelling" or "shelter."
In the early medieval period, the name Forbus was primarily found in regions of modern-day Scandinavia and parts of England that were influenced by Norse settlements and migrations. It is thought to have been a name given to individuals who traveled or lived in temporary shelters, perhaps reflecting a nomadic or adventurous lifestyle.
While there are no definitive records of the name appearing in ancient texts or religious scriptures, some historians speculate that variations of the name may have been used by Vikings or Anglo-Saxon travelers during the 8th to 11th centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Forbus dates back to the 12th century, when a Norwegian explorer named Forbus Haraldsson is mentioned in the Icelandic sagas. He is said to have embarked on voyages to the northern reaches of the Atlantic Ocean, potentially exploring parts of Greenland and the Arctic regions.
In the 13th century, a Scottish nobleman named Forbus MacLeod is noted for his role in the Wars of Scottish Independence against English rule. He was a prominent supporter of William Wallace and is believed to have fought alongside him at the Battle of Falkirk in 1298.
During the Renaissance period, an Italian artist named Forbus Benedetti (1460-1528) gained fame for his intricate woodcarvings and sculptures adorning churches and cathedrals in Florence and Rome.
In the 18th century, a British explorer named Forbus Cartwright (1725-1798) is credited with mapping and documenting several uncharted islands in the South Pacific, contributing to the expansion of geographical knowledge during that era.
More recently, a Norwegian mathematician and logician named Forbus Gödel (1906-1978) made significant contributions to the field of mathematical logic and is renowned for his incompleteness theorems, which fundamentally shaped the understanding of formal systems and their limitations.
These are a few notable examples of individuals who have borne the given name Forbus throughout history, reflecting its Germanic roots and its association with exploration, travel, and intellectual pursuits.
People
Forbus + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Forbus as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with F
Other first names starting with F with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Forbus: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Forbus?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Forbus going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about - US residents.
Is Forbus a common name?
We classify Forbus as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Forbus most popular?
The single biggest year for Forbus was 1920, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Forbus is about 0 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Forbus in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Forbus a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Forbus in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Forbus still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Forbus in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Forbus can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Forbus as a first name?
If you just want to know how many people have the name Forbus, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.