2000
#6,608
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,731
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.75
Rare Last name
Forester
An occupational surname referring to a keeper or manager of a forest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,409 Americans carry the last name Forester. That puts it at #6,865 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 63,367 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Forester surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Forester with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.4K
1 in 63,367
Census rank
#6,865
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,717 bearers of the surname Forester in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6865th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Forester, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Black (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Forester
Among Census respondents with the surname Forester, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Black (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Forester bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Forester surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.9% · 4,052
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 228
- Black or African American4.2% · 199
- Two or more races4.2% · 198
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Forester
Forester appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#6,704
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,037
+306 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 1.71
Rank movement Down 96 places
2020
#6,865
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,717
-320 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 1.58
Rank movement Down 161 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,608 | 4,731 | 1.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,704 | 5,037 | 1.71 | +306 bearers (+6.5%) | Down 96 places |
| 2020 | #6,865 | 4,717 | 1.58 | -320 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 161 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Forester surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #6,704 | #6,865 | -2.4% |
| Count | 5,037 | 4,717 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.71 | 1.58 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Forester bearers went from 5,037 to 4,717 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 161 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,704 to #6,865.
FAQ
Forester surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Forester?
Name Census estimates that about 5,409 living Americans carry the surname Forester. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 63,367 residents.
How common is Forester?
Forester ranks #6,865 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,717 people with the surname Forester. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,409), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Forester.
Has Forester become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Forester went from 5,037 recorded bearers to 4,717. That is a decrease of 320 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,704 to #6,865.
What does the Census say about the background of Forester?
Among Census respondents with the surname Forester, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Black (4.2%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Forester in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.9% (4,052 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Forester appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.9%), Hispanic (4.8%), Black (4.2%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Forester (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Forester mean?
An occupational surname referring to a keeper or manager of a forest. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Forester (1.58 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Forester?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.