Forestier surname: meaning, census count and records | FamilyCrests

The Forestier surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 431 people carried this name — #48,901 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 666,700 people counted. That is up 13% from 383 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Forestier surname

A surname originating as an occupation, equivalent to English Forester.

Occupational surname, taken from the occupation forestier.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Forestier» (French), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 5,602 people named Forestier.

79 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 93 départements, most often Paris.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they were born

Born outside France 79
Paris 386
Charente-Maritime 241
Loire 240
Allier 240
Pas-de-Calais 225
Haute-Savoie 219
Lozère 214
Somme 211

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

467 people named Forestier live in Switzerland.

They live in 14 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Vaud.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they live today

Vaud 270
Geneva 80
Valais 29
Fribourg 19
Zurich 17
Bern 9
Neuchâtel 8
Lucerne 7

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 333 people named Forestier live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 159
Neuquén 61
Santa Fe 35
Río Negro 26
La Pampa 21
City of Buenos Aires 17
Santa Cruz 14

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In the Nordic population registers

28 people named Forestier is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 28

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

Who carried it

People named Forestier,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Julie Forestier
    Julie Forestier 1782–1853 · painter
  • Etienne Forestier 1712–1768 · sculptor
  • Pierre Jacques Forestier 1739–1823 · politician
  • Jacques Forestier 1751– · magistrate
  • Jean-Etienne-Judith-Forestier Boinvilliers 1764–1830 · writer
  • Gaspard François Forestier 1767–1832 · military officer

Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Forestier.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Forestier is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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