Forrest is a given name of English origin. It comes from the Old English word "forst," which means "forest." The name was popularized in the United States during the early to mid-20th century, thanks in part to the success of the 1967 novel "Forrest Gump" by Winston Groom and its subsequent film adaptation starring Tom Hanks in 1994. However, the name has been used sparingly outside of English-speaking countries.
The given statistics provide an interesting overview of the popularity of the name Forrest in the United States over a span of more than a century. The name first appeared in the record with five births in 1887, which is quite remarkable considering how rare and unique it was at that time.
From then until the early 20th century, the number of babies named Forrest fluctuated somewhat inconsistently, ranging from as low as five to as high as twenty births per year. However, there seemed to be a surge in popularity between the years 1912 and 1924, with the birth numbers climbing to fifteen or more each year during this period.
The name's popularity began to decline after that peak, but it maintained some level of presence throughout the mid-20th century. There were periods where Forrest was quite uncommon again, such as in the late 1960s and early 1970s with only five births recorded each year from 1963 to 1972.
However, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, there was another upswing in popularity for the name Forrest. The number of births rose significantly, reaching a high of thirty-eight births in 1994. This trend continued until the late 1990s when it began to decline once more.
In recent years, Forrest has experienced renewed interest as a baby boy's name. After reaching another peak of twenty-one births in 2023, this suggests that the name continues to appeal to parents even today, more than a century after it first appeared on record.