Forest
The English word, borrowed from Old French forest, and a variant spelling of the surname Forrest, which marked someone living by or working in woodland.
Forest in 2025
Forest was given to 356 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 1,490th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 9,313 babies born.
The history of Forest
Forest reached its highest point in 2022, when 391 babies were given the name, ranking 1,416th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 541st, in 1893.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 18,377 babies have been named Forest. Half of them were born before 1951, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Baby Boomers.
Forest by decade
| Decade | Babies named Forest | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 298 | 572 |
| 1890s | 538 | 541 |
| 1900s | 563 | 613 |
| 1910s | 2,223 | 636 |
| 1920s | 2,650 | 701 |
| 1930s | 1,509 | 838 |
| 1940s | 1,291 | 1,051 |
| 1950s | 1,050 | 1,425 |
| 1960s | 784 | 1,889 |
| 1970s | 783 | 1,979 |
| 1980s | 809 | 2,007 |
| 1990s | 1,543 | 1,348 |
| 2000s | 657 | 3,421 |
| 2010s | 1,495 | 1,835 |
| 2020s | 2,184 | 1,416 |
Where Forest is heading
Forest has risen 154% over the past decade, from 140 babies in 2015 to 356 in 2025.
Names like Forest
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Forest.