Fore History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France
Scotland
England

The surname Fore is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties. As a general rule, the greater the distance between an individual and their homeland, the larger the territory they were named after. For example, a person who only moved to another parish would be known by the name of their original village, while people who migrated to a different country were often known by the name of a region or country from which they came. The name Foret is derived from the Old French word "foret," meaning "forest," and distinguished a person who lived in or near such a place. In some cases it may have been used as an occupational surname for a forester.

Early Origins of the Fore family

The surname Fore was first found in Savoy (French: Savoie) in the Rhône-Alpes region of the French Alps, where this renowned family held a family seat from ancient times.

In England, the Forey spelling was preferred as the "ey" provided the long "a" sound instead of the typical "êt" spelling used in France which provided the same sound.

Early History of the Fore family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fore research. Another 345 words (25 lines of text) covering the years 1310, 1442, 1534, 1537, 1539, 1580, 1620, 1636, 1638, 1659, 1712, 1726, 1729, 1753, 1767, 1789, 1790, 1793, 1796, 1804, 1835 and 1872 are included under the topic Early Fore History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fore Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Foret, Forest, Forez, Forait, Foraie, Forais, Foraies, Foré, Forêt, Forêst, Forer, Forey, La Foret, La Forest, La Forez, La Forait, La Foraie, La Forais, La Foraies, La Foré, La Forêt, La Forêst, Laforest, La Forer and many more.

Early Notables of the Fore family

Notable in the family name at this time was

Guillaume de La Forest, Magistrate of Faucigny; Laurenz Forer (1580-1659), a Swiss Jesuit theologian and controversialist; and Jean-Baptiste Forest, (1636-1712) a French landscape painter
Admiral Sir John LaForey (1729-1796) was second son of John Laforey (d. 1753), one of the French Huguenot family La Foret which settled in England at the time of William III. 1
Jean de La Forêt, (Foret) also Jean de La Forest or Jehan de la Forest (died 1537), was the first official French Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, serving from 1534 to 1537
The Laforey Baronetcy, of Whitby in the County of Devon, England was a title in the Baronetage of Great Britain. It was created on 2 December 1789 for the naval commander John Laforey (c. 1729-1796.)...
Élie Frédéric Forey (1804-1872) was a Marshal of France

Fore Ranking

In the United States, the name Fore is the 6,365^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 2

Fore migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Fore Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Maria Fore, aged 21, who landed in America, in 1893
Ruth Fore, aged 4, who landed in America, in 1895
Thomas Fore, aged 35, who settled in America from Roscommon, in 1896

Fore Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Dolphin Fore, aged 27, who settled in America from Liverpool, in 1904
Jesire Elizabeth Fore, aged 27, who immigrated to the United States from Sheffield, England, in 1908
Julio R. Fore, aged 52, who immigrated to the United States, in 1910
Maurice Fore, who immigrated to the United States, in 1911
Henry Fore, aged 25, who landed in America from Therslake, England, in 1911
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Fore (post 1700) +

Henrietta Holsman Fore (b. 1948), Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development

The Fore Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Tout travers
Motto Translation: All through

Citations +

Lee, Sir Stanley, Dictionary of National Biography. London: The MacMillan Company 1909. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/