2000
#2,487
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,276
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.92
Uncommon Last name
Forrester
An occupational surname for a keeper or inhabitant of a forest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,147 Americans carry the last name Forrester. That puts it at #2,668 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 22,629 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Forrester 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 Forrester with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 22,629
Census rank
#2,668
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,209 bearers of the surname Forrester in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2668th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Forrester, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.8%. The next largest groups are Black (12.4%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Forrester
The surname Forrester is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "foresta," which means "forester" or "keeper of the forest." The name first emerged in the Middle Ages, around the 12th and 13th centuries, when the concept of royal forests and the occupation of forester became prevalent.
The name is believed to have originated in areas of England with large forests, such as the counties of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, and Yorkshire. It was initially an occupational surname given to individuals whose profession was to guard and maintain the forests, often for the king or a nobleman.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Forrester can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which were administrative records from the reign of King Edward I. The name appears as "le Forester," indicating its occupational origin.
In the 14th century, the Forrester family held lands in Northumberland, and a prominent member, Sir John Forrester, was recorded as serving in the Scottish Wars under King Edward III. Sir John's son, also named John Forrester, was born around 1350 and held the position of Warden of the Middle Marches, a crucial role in guarding the English-Scottish border.
Another notable figure from history was Sir Andrew Forrester, who was born in Scotland in the 15th century and served as a diplomat and ambassador for King James IV of Scotland. He played a significant role in negotiating the Treaty of Ayton in 1497, which temporarily resolved conflicts between England and Scotland.
In the 16th century, the Forrester family established themselves in Corstorphine, near Edinburgh, Scotland. One of the most famous members of this branch was Andrew Forrester (1535-1616), who became a prominent lawyer and served as Lord Justice Clerk of Scotland from 1598 until his death.
The name Forrester has also been associated with several place names, such as Forrester's Village in Pennsylvania, United States, and Forrester Hill in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, possibly named after early settlers bearing the surname.
Over the centuries, the surname Forrester has seen various spellings, including Forester, Forrister, and Forster, reflecting regional variations and changes in spelling conventions. However, the core meaning and origin of the name have remained consistent, tracing back to the occupation of guarding and maintaining forests.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Forrester
Among Census respondents with the surname Forrester, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.8%. The next largest groups are Black (12.4%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Forrester 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 Forrester surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.8% · 10,542
- Black or African American12.4% · 1,637
- Two or more races3.6% · 469
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 413
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 83
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 65
Timeline
Historical Census data for Forrester
Forrester 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
#2,596
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,878
+602 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 4.70
Rank movement Down 109 places
2020
#2,668
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,209
-669 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 4.42
Rank movement Down 72 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,487 | 13,276 | 4.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,596 | 13,878 | 4.70 | +602 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 109 places |
| 2020 | #2,668 | 13,209 | 4.42 | -669 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 72 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 Forrester 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 | #2,596 | #2,668 | -2.8% |
| Count | 13,878 | 13,209 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 4.70 | 4.42 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Forrester bearers went from 13,878 to 13,209 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 72 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,596 to #2,668.
FAQ
Forrester surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Forrester?
Name Census estimates that about 15,147 living Americans carry the surname Forrester. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 22,629 residents.
How common is Forrester?
Forrester ranks #2,668 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.42 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,209 people with the surname Forrester. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,147), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.42 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Forrester.
Has Forrester become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Forrester went from 13,878 recorded bearers to 13,209. That is a decrease of 669 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,596 to #2,668.
What does the Census say about the background of Forrester?
Among Census respondents with the surname Forrester, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.8%. The next largest groups are Black (12.4%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Forrester in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.8% (10,542 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Forrester appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.8%), Black (12.4%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Forrester (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 Forrester mean?
An occupational surname for a keeper or inhabitant 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 Forrester (4.42 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 share the surname Forrester?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.