Forrester Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Forrester last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Forrester last name
Meaning of the Forrester last name: forest keeper. Forrester is a Scottish and English surname for a keeper of a royal forest, from Old French forestier. The Forresters of Corstorphine held lands near Edinburgh from the 1300s. This last name is common in Scotland and northern England and spread to Canada and Australia.
Arms associated with the Forrester name
Coats of arms associated with the Forrester surname follow Scottish heraldry, where each blazon belongs to one bearer.
Get your full Forrester family history
This is only a glimpse of the Forrester story. The full Forrester 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 Forrester coat of arms. Get the full Forrester report.
Forrester name FAQ
What does the Forrester name mean?
Forest keeper. Common variants include Forester, Forster.
Where does the Forrester surname come from?
It originates in Scotland, and is also found in the United States, Canada and Australia.
Is there a Forrester coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Forrester 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).