Contents [hide]

Forester History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Forester History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

The Forester surname was no doubt taken on by someone who either lived in or near a forest, or perhaps worked in the forest. The Middle English word "forest" referred specifically to an area of woodland reserved by law as hunting grounds for the king or his nobles. No doubt, as a surname, Forester would have appeared independently in various parts of Britain.

One source claims the name as Norman, descended from Forez, Normandy. There Guerard and Nicholas de Foresta of Normandy were found in 1198 (Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae). The source continues to note that William Forist held lands in Hampshire in the Domesday Book of 1086. 1 2

Early Origins of the Forester family

The surname Forester was first found in Northumberland, but early records include John Forester, listed in the Pipe Rolls of Surrey of 1183, and Richard le Forester listed in the Feet of Fines of Essex in 1240. 3

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 include: Petrus Forestarius, Jordan le Forester; and Nicholas le Forester. 4 There was also a Shropshire family of this name, who held custody of part of the Wrekin forest. An early record of this family lists a Hugh Forester as a witness 1187. 3

As a trade name, the family were traditional "officers made by letters patent under the great seal, and sworn to preserve vert and venison in the forest; and to attend upon the wild beasts within his bailiwick; to attach offenders there either in Vert or Venison, and to preserve the same at the courts of the Forest." 5

Early History of the Forester family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Forester research. Another 105 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1379, 1471, 1538, 1623, 1652, 1655, 1679, 1690, 1698, 1718, 1758, 1767 and 1828 are included under the topic Early Forester History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Forester Spelling Variations

Although the name, Forester, appeared in many references, from time to time, the surname was shown with the spellings Forrester, Forester, Forrest, Forster, Foster, Forrestor and many more.

Early Notables of the Forester family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was

Francis Forester (b. 1623) was High Sheriff of Shropshire in 1652
Sir William Forester (1655-1718), of Dothill in Wellington, Shropshire, Member of Parliament for the borough constituency of Wenlock (1679 to his death)
his son William Forester (1690-1758), of Dothill in Wellington, Shropshire, was the son of Sir William Forester of Dothill. Like his father (and several other members of his family, Member of Parliame...

Forester Ranking

In the United States, the name Forester is the 7,281^st most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Forester family to Ireland

Some of the Forester family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 43 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Forester migration to the United States +

Gradually becoming disenchanted with life in Ireland many of these uprooted families sailed aboard the armada of sailing ships known as the "White Sails" which plied the stormy Atlantic. These overcrowded ships often arrived with only 60 to 70% of their original passenger list, many dying of cholera, typhoid, dysentery or small pox. In North America, some of the first immigrants who could be considered kinsmen of the Forester family name Forester, or who bore a variation of the surname were

Forester Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Toby Forester, who landed in Virginia in 1655 7

Forester Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Forester, who arrived in Virginia in 1746 7
William Forester, who arrived in Virginia in 1783 7

Forester Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Hugh Forester, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1840 7
August Forester, who arrived in America in 1873 7
Adam Forester, aged 29, who settled in America from Glasgow, in 1893

Forester Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Alice Forester, aged 25, who landed in America from Oldham, in 1903
Alice Forester, aged 25, who immigrated to the United States from Brighton, England, in 1907
Arthur Forester, aged 27, who immigrated to the United States from Brighton, England, in 1907
Arthur W. Forester, aged 0, who landed in America from Brighton, England, in 1907
Henry Forester, aged 43, who immigrated to America from London, England, in 1907
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Forester migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Forester Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Ms. Mary Forester U.E. who settled in Carleton [Saint John City], New Brunswick c. 1784 8

Forester Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Dorothy Graham Forester, aged 24, who settled in Victoria, Canada, in 1914
James A. Forester, aged 48, who immigrated to Winnipeg, Canada, in 1922

Forester migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Forester Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Christian Wilhelm Forester, who arrived in South Australia in 1848 aboard the ship "Victoria" 9
Andrew Forester, aged 39, who arrived in South Australia in 1853 aboard the ship "Shackamaxon" 10

Forester migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Forester Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Francis Forester, (b. 1851), aged 23, Scottish machinist, from Lanark travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Oamaru" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 17th February 1875 11

Contemporary Notables of the name Forester (post 1700) +

George William "Bill" Forester (1932-2007), American NFL football linebacker who played for the Green bay Packers (1953-1963)
Nicole Forester (b. 1972), Emmy Award-nominated American actress
John F. Forester, American planning theorist
John B. Forester (d. 1845), American politician from Tennessee
John Forester (b. 1929), American cycling activist
Joseph M. Forester, American fighter pilot and flying ace in the U.S. Army Air Forces, during World War II, credited with 9 aerial victories
George Forester (1735-1811), English politician, Member of Parliament for Wenlock (1758-1761), (1768-1780) and (1780-1784)
Brooke Forester (1717-1774), English politician, Member of Parliament for Wenlock (1739-1768)
Cecil Scott "C.S." Forester (1899-1966), English novelist, the creator of the "Horatio Hornblower" series
Victoria Forester (b. 1974), Canadian author and screenwriter, best known for her best-selling novel, The Girl Who Could Fly
... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) VICTORIA 1848. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1848Victoria.htm
South Australian Register Thursday 20 January 1853. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) SHACKAMAXON 1853. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/shackamaxon1853.shtml
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html