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

Forsyth, 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 Forsyth surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Forsyth in America

Forsyth is the 4194th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Forsyth surname appeared 8,450 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Forsyth.

We can also compare 2010 data for Forsyth 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 Forsyth

The surname Forsyth originated in Scotland, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "fors" meaning a waterfall or stream, and "syth" meaning a small valley or path. This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived near a stream or waterfall in a small valley.

The Forsyth name is closely associated with the Scottish Borders region, particularly in areas such as Roxburghshire and Berwickshire. Early spellings of the name included variants like Forsith, Forsythe, and Forsytt. One of the earliest recorded instances is in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which lists a John de Forsyth as swearing fealty to King Edward I of England.

In the 14th century, a branch of the Forsyth family is recorded as holding lands in the parish of Cavers, Roxburghshire. This is evidenced by charters and other historical records from the time. A notable figure from this lineage was Robert de Forsyth, who served as a Scottish ambassador to England in the late 14th century.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Forsyths were closely associated with the town of Jedburgh in Roxburghshire. Several members of the family held prominent positions in the local community, including William Forsyth (1537-1599), who served as the Provost of Jedburgh.

One of the most famous individuals with the Forsyth surname was William Forsyth (1737-1804), a Scottish botanist and horticulturist who served as the Chief Superintendent of the Royal Gardens at Kensington Palace and St. James's Palace in London. He made significant contributions to the study of plant diseases and introduced several new techniques in horticulture.

Another notable Forsyth was James Forsyth (1766-1835), a Scottish missionary who played a pivotal role in the establishment of Christian missions in India. He was one of the first Protestant missionaries to work in the region and founded several educational institutions.

In the literary world, William Forsyth (1818-1879) was a Scottish writer and journalist who served as the editor of the Glasgow Constitutional and the Glasgow Herald. He was also a prolific author, publishing works on history and literature.

The Forsyth name has also been associated with the military, with individuals like James Forsyth (1789-1853), a British Army officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and the First Anglo-Burmese War, and Charles Forsyth (1819-1897), a British Army officer and administrator in India.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Forsyth

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Forsyth, 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!