Show ContentsForget History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The origins of this old family name Forget can be found within medieval France. While the patronymic and metronymic surnames, which are derived from the name of the father and mother respectively, are the most common form of a hereditary surname in France, occupational surnames also emerged during the late Middle Ages. Many people, such as the Forget family, adopted the name of their occupation as their surname. However, an occupational name did not become a hereditary surname until the office or type of employment became hereditary. The surname Forget was an occupational name for someone who worked at a forge or smithy.

The surname Forget was originally derived from the word "forgeret", "forge" in English, which in turn derives from the Latin word "fabrica" which means "workshop". [1]

Early Origins of the Forget family

The surname Forget was first found in the town of Forgetville located in the region of Lorraine in the northeast France where this distinguished family held a family seat. [1]

In later years, this main branch of the family branched to acquire lands and estates in Touraine and at Kerlan in Picardy where they were active in the affairs of the church and community and were recorded as a family of stature and importance. The family also branched to Normandy and Poitou. They flourished on their estates for many centuries, intermarrying with many other distinguished families of the area until the French Revolution in 1789 when many aristocrats lost their estates.

Early History of the Forget family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Forget research. Another 53 words (4 lines of text) covering the year 1630 is included under the topic Early Forget History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Forget Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Forget, Forgett, Fourget, Forquet, Forquette, Faurget, Faurquet, Forgette, Fougette and many more.

Early Notables of the Forget family

Notable in the family name was

  • Forget of Lorraine

Forget World Ranking

In Canada, the name Forget is the 440th most popular surname with an estimated 10,712 people with that name. [2] However, in Quebec, Canada, the name Forget is ranked the 206th most popular surname. [3] And in France, the name Forget is the 1,110th popular surname with an estimated 4,913 people with that name. [4]


United States Forget migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Forget Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Marie Forget married in America in 1662
  • Francoise Forget married in America in 1668
Forget Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Forget, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 [5]
Forget Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Loulon Forget, aged 27, who settled in America from London, in 1904
  • Blanche Forget, aged 34, who immigrated to the United States from Montreal, in 1907
  • Rudolphe Forget, aged 43, who landed in America from Montreal, in 1907
  • Rudolp Forget, aged 49, who immigrated to the United States from Paris, France, in 1910
  • Blanche Forget, aged 39, who landed in America from Paris, France, in 1910
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Forget migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Forget Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
  • Jacques Forget, who arrived in Quebec from Poitou in 1634
  • Nicolas Forget was one of the early settlers in Quebec who arrived from Normandy in 1652
  • Nicolas Forget, son of Paul and Nicole, who married Madeleine Martin, daughter of Abraham and Marguerite, in Quebec on 6th February 1653 [6]
  • Jacques Forget, son of Mandé and Jeanne, who married Jeanne Rossignol, daughter of Martin and Renée, in Quebec on 4th February 1674 [6]
  • Louis Forget, son of Nicolas and Madeleine, who married Élisabeth Ethier, daughter of Léonard and Élisabeth, in Lachenaie, Quebec on 2nd March 1688 [6]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Forget Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Jean-Baptiste Forget, son of Nicolas and Madeleine, who married Jeanne Baudoin, daughter of Jean and Marie-Charlotte, in Repetigny, Quebec on 22nd November 1700 [6]
  • Jacques Forget, son of Louis and Élisabeth, who married Marie Charbonneau, daughter of Joseph and Anne, in Quebec on 17th October 1712 [6]
  • Jean Forget, son of Jacques and Jeanne, who married Thérèse Thibault, daughter of Nicolas and Anne, in Quebec on 13th July 1723 [6]
  • Pierre Forget, son of Guillaume and Barbe, who married Marie-Louise Charpentier, daughter of Jean-Baptiste and Françoise, in Rivière-des-Prairies, Quebec on 6th November 1724 [6]
  • Pierre-Louis Forget, son of Louis and Élisabeth, who married Agathe Hubout, daughter of Mathieu and Catherine, in Quebec on 29th October 1724 [6]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Forget Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century
  • Marguerit Forget, aged 20, who settled in Montreal, Canada, in 1912
  • Therese Forget, aged 15, who settled in Montreal, Canada, in 1912
  • Albert Ernest Forget, aged 40, who settled in Montreal, Canada, in 1915

Contemporary Notables of the name Forget (post 1700) +

  • Michel Claude André Forget (1927-2020), French fighter pilot who commanded the first overseas operation by implementing modern fighter jets
  • Maud Forget (b. 1982), French actress, best known for her roles in "Mauvaises fréquentations" (1999), and "La vie promise" (2002)
  • Guy Forget (b. 1965), French former professional tennis player; he helped France win the Davis Cup in both 1991 and 1996
  • Sir Joseph David Rodolphe Forget (1861-1919), Canadian business investor, stockbroker, and politician from Terrebonne, Canada East, Member of the Canadian Parliament for Charlevoix (1904-1917), Chairman of the Montreal Stock Exchange from 1907 to 1909
  • Monique Jérôme- Forget (b. 1940), French-Canadian former Quebec politician, Member of the National Assembly of Quebec for Marguerite-Bourgeoys (1998-2009)
  • Michel Forget (b. 1942), French-Canadian Gemini and Genie nominated actor from Montreal, Quebec, known for La femme qui boit (2001), Lance et compte III (1989) and The Last Chapter (2002)
  • Louis-Joseph Forget (1853-1911), Canadian businessman and politician, Senator for Saurel, Quebec (1896-1911)
  • Claude E. Forget OC (b. 1936), Canadian former provincial politician, Member of the National Assembly of Quebec for Saint-Laurent (1973-1981)
  • Amédée Emmanuel Marie Forget (1847-1923), Canadian lawyer, civil servant, and politician, first Lieutenant Governor of the Province of Saskatchewan, eponym of Forget, Saskatchewan


  1. Dionne, N.-E., Origine Des Familles Canadiennes-Français. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1969. Print.
  2. "Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
  3. "The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
  4. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  5. 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)
  6. Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 1, Institut Drouin, 1958.


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