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

Forehand, 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 Forehand surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Forehand in America

Forehand is the 8690th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Forehand surname appeared 3,779 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Forehand.

We can also compare 2010 data for Forehand 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 Forehand

The surname Forehand is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to have derived from the Old English words "fore" meaning "before" or "in front," and "hand" referring to a skilled craftsman or worker. Essentially, the name likely referred to someone who worked as a foreman or supervisor, overseeing others in a trade or profession.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Forehand surname can be found in the Feet of Fines records from Buckinghamshire in 1242, which document a Robert Forehand. This suggests the name was already established in parts of southern England by the 13th century.

The Forehand name also appeared in various manorial and parish records throughout the Middle Ages, such as the Subsidy Rolls for Warwickshire in 1332, where a John Forehand is listed. This indicates the name had spread to different regions of the country over time.

In the 16th century, the Forehand surname is recorded in the Visitations of Yorkshire from 1584, which documented the pedigrees and coats of arms of prominent families. This suggests there were Forehands of notable status in northern England during this period.

One of the earliest known bearers of the Forehand name was William Forehand, who was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, in 1572. He was a contemporary of the famous playwright William Shakespeare, though no direct connection between the two is recorded.

Another notable early Forehand was John Forehand, born in 1625 in Gloucestershire. He was a merchant and landowner who played a role in the English Civil War, supporting the Parliamentarian cause against King Charles I.

In the 18th century, the Forehand name appears in various records related to the British colonial expansion in North America. For example, a Thomas Forehand is listed as a settler in Virginia in the 1720s.

One of the most prominent individuals with the Forehand surname was Sir Willoughby Forehand, born in 1785 in Devonshire. He was a distinguished military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a Member of Parliament.

As the centuries progressed, the Forehand name spread to other parts of the English-speaking world through migration and settlement, though its origins can be traced back to its medieval English roots.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Forehand

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

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 Forehand 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 Forehand 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 Forehand was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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