Find out how popular the last name Forbes is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Forbes.

Forbes, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Forbes surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Forbes in America

Forbes is the 1028th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Forbes surname appeared 33,813 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 11 people would have the surname Forbes.

We can also compare 2010 data for Forbes to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Forbes

The surname FORBES is of Scottish origin, derived from the lands of Forbes in Aberdeenshire. The name is believed to have originated from the Gaelic words "fòrch" meaning field and "baile" meaning town or settlement, suggesting the name translates to "the town among the fields".

The earliest recorded spelling of the surname is found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which lists Alanus de Forbes as a landowner who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. The name also appears in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1369 as "Williame Forbes".

The FORBES family played a prominent role in Scottish history, with their ancestral lands located near the River Don in Aberdeenshire. The family's power and influence grew significantly during the 16th and 17th centuries, with several members holding important positions in the Scottish government and military.

One notable figure was Alexander Forbes, 4th Lord Forbes (1537-1594), who was a Scottish nobleman and military commander. He fought against the English at the Battle of Pinkie in 1547 and later supported Mary, Queen of Scots during the Scottish Reformation.

Another distinguished member of the FORBES family was William Forbes (1585-1634), a Scottish bishop and theologian. He served as the Bishop of Edinburgh from 1634 until his death and was a respected figure in the Scottish Episcopal Church.

During the 18th century, the FORBES family continued to play a significant role in Scottish society. John Forbes (1714-1796) was a Scottish merchant and landowner who served as Lord Rector of the University of Glasgow from 1782 to 1784.

The name FORBES also has connections to the United States, with several notable individuals bearing the surname. One of the most famous was Malcolm Forbes (1919-1990), an American entrepreneur and publisher who served as the editor-in-chief of Forbes magazine.

In addition to these historical figures, the surname FORBES has been associated with various place names, including the town of Forbes in New South Wales, Australia, and the Forbes Range in Antarctica.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Forbes

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Forbes.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Forbes was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Forbes has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Forbes was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Forbes, please contact us.

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