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

Forester, 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 Forester surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Forester in America

Forester is the 6704th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Forester surname appeared 5,037 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Forester.

We can also compare 2010 data for Forester 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 Forester

The surname Forester is an occupational name derived from the Old English word "forester," which refers to a person who guarded or lived in a forest. The name has its origins in England, where the role of a forester was an important one during medieval times.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Forester can be traced back to the late 12th century. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Walter le Forester, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Berkshire in 1197. The Pipe Rolls were a series of administrative records maintained by the English Exchequer during the Norman and Angevin periods.

The surname Forester is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and resources in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The book mentions several individuals with the title "forester," indicating that the occupation was already well-established by the late 11th century.

In the 13th century, the surname Forester was particularly prominent in the counties of Staffordshire and Warwickshire. One notable individual was Sir John Forester, who was born around 1240 and served as the Sheriff of Staffordshire in 1285 and 1286. Another notable bearer of the name was Sir William Forester, born around 1310, who was a member of the English Parliament and served as the Sheriff of Warwickshire in 1349.

The surname Forester has been associated with several place names throughout England, such as Forester's Hall in Staffordshire and Forester's Wood in Warwickshire. These place names likely originated from individuals with the surname Forester who either lived or worked in those areas.

Other notable individuals with the surname Forester throughout history include:

1. John Forester (c. 1530-1586), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Warwick.
2. Robert Forester (1707-1778), an English merchant and politician who served as the Governor of the Bank of England.
3. Thomas Ignatius Maria Forester (1718-1811), an English novelist and writer.
4. Cecil Scott Forester (1899-1966), an English novelist best known for his Horatio Hornblower series of novels.
5. Amanda Forester (born 1976), an American author of historical romance novels.

The surname Forester has a rich history rooted in the medieval English occupation of forestry and woodland management. Its presence in important historical documents and its association with notable individuals throughout the centuries attest to its enduring legacy as a distinctive English surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Forester

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!