How Common Is the Last Name Forister?

An estimated 415 people in the United States share the surname Forister. That's about 1 in 825,914 Americans. This data comes from the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau surname frequency tables.

This page covers the Forister surname's frequency in the U.S. population, its rank among all American surnames, and a breakdown of ancestry and ethnicity data from the Census. You can also check how many people share any first + last name combination involving Forister.

Estimated Americans with this Surname

415

About 1 in 825,914 people in the U.S.

Census Rank

#60,172

Very Rare 0.12 per 100K

Frequency Rate

0.12

per 100,000 people

Census Count

362

2020 Census

Data Source

2020

U.S. Census Bureau

Ancestry and Ethnicity for Forister

The Forister surname is most commonly associated with people who identify as White (93.09%). The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.14%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.10%).

Self-reported race and ethnicity from the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau surname tables. Some categories may be suppressed for privacy when sample sizes are small.

White
93.09%
Black
0.28%
Hispanic
0.55%
Asian/Pacific Islander
1.10%
American Indian/Alaska Native
0.83%
Two or More Races
4.14%

Historical Census Data for Forister

Forister appears in 3 published Census surname releases on this site (2000, 2010, 2020). From 2000 to 2020, the raw count became less common and the per-100,000 rate became less common. Its best published rank was #52,289 in 2000.

Between the 2010 and 2020 census releases, the surname Forister became more common in the United States. Both the raw count and the population-adjusted frequency moved up.

The line to watch most closely is per 100,000 people. That adjusts for overall population growth, so it shows whether Forister became a bigger or smaller share of the country, not just whether the raw count went up.

Census Count Over Time

Raw Census count in each published surname release.

238 to 373

373 238 362 2000 2010 2020

Per 100,000 Over Time

Population-adjusted frequency, which is usually the cleaner trend line.

0.08 to 0.14

0.14 0.08 0.12 2000 2010 2020

Release-by-release summary

Each row is a published Census surname table for Forister. The change column compares each release to the one before it.

Year Rank Count Per 100K Change vs prior release Largest recorded group
2000
#52,289 373 0.14 Baseline release White (95.98%)
2010
#79,846 238 0.08
Count -44.19%
Rate -54.55%
White (96.22%)
2020 Latest
#60,172 362 0.12
Count 41.33%
Rate 40.88%
White (93.09%)

If the raw count rose but the per-100,000 number fell, the surname still became less common relative to the size of the U.S. population. That is why the frequency rate usually tells the clearer story.

Recorded ancestry change

These percentages show how the Census profile for this surname shifted across the published surveys on this site.

Ancestry 202020102000 Change Since 2000
White 93.09%96.22%95.98% -3.05%
Black 0.28%0.00%0.00% 200.00%
Asian and Pacific Islander 1.10%N/AN/A N/A
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.83%N/AN/A N/A
Two or More Races 4.14%N/A2.41% 52.91%
Hispanic 0.55%N/AN/A N/A

These percentages come from self-reported Census data. They describe how the recorded makeup of people using the surname Forister changed from 2000 through 2020, not the deeper family origin of every bearer of the name.

First Name + Forister Combinations

How many people share a full name with Forister as the last name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.

Forister Surname: Questions and Answers

How common is the last name Forister?

Forister is the #60,172 most common surname in the United States, with an estimated 415 people sharing this last name. It appears at a rate of 0.12 per 100,000 Americans.

Has the surname Forister become more or less common over time?

In the published Census surname tables on this site, Forister moved from 373 people in 2000 to 362 in 2020. The more important line is the population-adjusted rate, which changed from 0.14 to 0.12 per 100,000.

Why can the raw count go up while the rate per 100,000 goes down?

Because the total U.S. population can grow faster than the surname itself. A surname can have more people in absolute numbers but still make up a smaller share of the country, which is why the per-100,000 figure often tells the clearer story.

What does the ancestry change table show for Forister?

It compares the published Census demographic mix for Forister across releases on this page. That helps you see whether the recorded share of the surname shifted between groups over time, but it still does not tell the full family history of every person with the name.

What does 0.12 per 100,000 mean?

It means that if you picked 100,000 people in the United States at random, about 0.12 of them would have the surname Forister. This is usually the clearest way to compare surnames because it adjusts for the size of the total population.

What ethnicity is the surname Forister?

The Forister surname is most commonly associated with people who identify as White (93.09%). The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.14%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.10%). This data comes from the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau surname tables, which include self-reported race and ethnicity breakdowns.

Does the ancestry table tell the exact family origin of everyone named Forister?

No. It shows how people with the surname Forister identified in the Census. That is useful context, but it does not prove the deeper family history, nationality, or origin story of every person with the name.

How many people named [First Name] Forister are there?

We can estimate any first + last name combination. Popular examples: Michael Forister, James Forister, John Forister. Search any combination on our homepage.

Where does this surname data come from?

Surname frequency data comes from the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau decennial surname tables. These list every surname appearing in the Census along with frequency rates and demographic breakdowns. Full methodology.

Search for a full name combination