2000
#10,888
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,683
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.99
Rare Last name
Foret
A French occupational surname referring to a person who lived or worked in a forest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,008 Americans carry the last name Foret. That puts it at #11,484 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 113,948 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Foret 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.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 113,948
Census rank
#11,484
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,623 bearers of the surname Foret in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11484th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Foret, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (5.2%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Foret
Among Census respondents with the surname Foret, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (5.2%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Foret 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 Foret surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.8% · 2,276
- American Indian and Alaska Native5.2% · 136
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 100
- Two or more races3.5% · 92
- Black or African American0.4% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Foret
Foret 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
#11,035
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,881
+198 bearers (+7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Down 147 places
2020
#11,484
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,623
-258 bearers (-9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 449 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,888 | 2,683 | 0.99 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,035 | 2,881 | 0.98 | +198 bearers (+7.4%) | Down 147 places |
| 2020 | #11,484 | 2,623 | 0.88 | -258 bearers (-9.0%) | Down 449 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 Foret 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 | #11,035 | #11,484 | -4.1% |
| Count | 2,881 | 2,623 | -9.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.98 | 0.88 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Foret bearers went from 2,881 to 2,623 (-9.0% change). The surname moved down 449 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,035 to #11,484.
FAQ
Foret surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Foret?
Name Census estimates that about 3,008 living Americans carry the surname Foret. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 113,948 residents.
How common is Foret?
Foret ranks #11,484 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,623 people with the surname Foret. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,008), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.88 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Foret.
Has Foret become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Foret went from 2,881 recorded bearers to 2,623. That is a decrease of 258 (-9.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,035 to #11,484.
What does the Census say about the background of Foret?
Among Census respondents with the surname Foret, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (5.2%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Foret in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.8% (2,276 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Foret appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (5.2%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Foret (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 Foret mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a person who lived or worked in 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 Foret (0.88 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 people have the surname Foret?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.