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

Foret, 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 Foret surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Foret in America

Foret is the 11035th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Foret surname appeared 2,881 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 Foret.

We can also compare 2010 data for Foret 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 Foret

The surname FORET originated in France, specifically in the northern regions of the country, during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "foret," which means "forest" or "woods." This name was likely given to someone who lived near or worked in a forested area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name FORET can be found in the Domesday Book, a historical record commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as "Foresta," indicating its connection to the French word for "forest."

In the 13th century, a nobleman named Jean de la Foret was mentioned in a charter from the region of Picardy, located in northern France. He was likely a landowner or nobleman associated with a forested estate or domain.

During the 16th century, a French explorer named Jacques FORET was part of an expedition to the New World, specifically the region now known as Canada. His travel logs and journals from this time provide valuable insights into the early exploration of North America.

In the 18th century, a renowned French botanist named Pierre-Jean-Baptiste FORET made significant contributions to the study of plant life. He published several influential works on the classification and taxonomy of plants, and many species bear his name in recognition of his contributions.

Another notable figure with the surname FORET was Marie-Louise FORET, a French novelist and playwright who lived in the 19th century. Her works explored themes of love, societal norms, and the challenges faced by women during that era.

As the surname FORET spread throughout France and beyond, it underwent variations in spelling, such as Forêt, Faurette, and Fourest. Some of these variations were influenced by regional dialects and pronunciation differences.

The name FORET has also been associated with various place names, such as La Forêt, a town in the Champagne region of France, and Forêt-la-Folie, a commune in the Eure department of Normandy.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Foret

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

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

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

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