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Forrest

Boy name · 41 babies recorded · 1974–2025

Forrest: 41 babies born in Scotland since 1974, given to boys, peaking at 6 births in 2019.

Forrest is an English name rooted in the Old French *forest*, meaning “woodland” or “forest,” and originally referred to someone who lived near or worked in a royal hunting ground. It first emerged as a surname before being adopted as a given name. The most famous bearer is the fictional Forrest Gump, whose gentle resilience made the name iconic, but real-life figures include candy magnate Forrest Mars (co-creator of M&M’s) and Oscar-winning actor Forest Whitaker. Place connections abound: Forest Hills in New York and numerous towns named Forest share the same etymology. A quieter variant, Forest, is occasionally used, but the double-‘r’ spelling remains the more common choice for boys, evoking a sense of natural strength and calm.

Boy 8 of 52 years

Peak year
20196 babies
Latest (2025)
#4956 babies
Total births
41since 2018
5-year trend
≈ stablevs prior 5y
1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2019 · 6
Births per year in Scotland. Missing years had a count of 2 or fewer (suppressed by NRS).