First found in Northumberland, where they were seated from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D. 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. 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.

Most of the Boernician-Scottish families who came to North America settled on the eastern seaboard of what would become the United States and Canada. Families who wanted a new order stayed south in the War of Independence, while those who were still loyal to the crown went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. In the 20th century, the ancestors of these families have gone on to rediscover their heritage through clan societies and other patriotic Scottish organizations. Research into the Origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Forrester or a variant listed above: James Forest, who settled in Virginia in 1654; George Forest settled in Virginia in 1608; 12 years before the "Mayflower"; Toby Forrester settled in Virginia in 1655.

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