Forrest Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Forrest last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Forrest last name
Meaning of the Forrest last name: forest dweller or keeper. Forrest is a Scottish and English surname for someone who lived or worked in a royal forest, from Old French forest. The last name is common in Lanarkshire and northern England. Curiously, a medieval forest meant land under forest law kept for hunting, so it could include fields and whole villages.
Arms associated with the Forrest name
Coats of arms associated with the Forrest surname follow Scottish heraldry, where each blazon belongs to one bearer.
Get your full Forrest family history
This is only a glimpse of the Forrest story. The full Forrest history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Forrest coat of arms. Get the full Forrest report.
Forrest name FAQ
What does the Forrest name mean?
Forest dweller or keeper. Common variants include Forest, Forrester.
Where does the Forrest surname come from?
It originates in Scotland, and is also found in the United States, Canada and Australia.
Is there a Forrest coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Forrest coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: George F. Black, The Surnames of Scotland (New York Public Library, 1946); Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).