Surname DE Forre - Meaning and Origin
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DE Forre: What does the surname DE Forre mean?
The surname DE Forre is a toponymic surname, meaning it is derived from the name of a place. This surname originated as a habitational name, derived from the Old French (of Norman origin) terms “de”, meaning ‘from’, and “la Foret” meaning ‘forest’.
The original bearer of the name De Forre was likely a person who had immigrated from a region and took the name of their home or a person who lived near a notable body of vegetation, such as a forest.
Today, numerous variations of the surname exist in different countries and regions. These county-specific versions of the name De Forre include De Fore, De Forge, De Forgey, and even some versions with the prefix ‘De’ dropped, such as Fore and Forge.
The surname De Forre is still widely used in its native France, and is also noticeable in other countries where French immigrants settled, including the United States and Canada. Additionally, the surname is found in England, where it is a variant spelling of the similar surname de Forge.
Given its geographical versatility, the surname De Forre is likely to continue to be used in the United States, Canada, France, and the United Kingdom for some time. It may even spread into other regions of the world as French influence continues to grow globally.
Order DNA origin analysisDE Forre: Where does the name DE Forre come from?
The last name DE Forre is commonly found throughout the United States today. Specifically, within the states of California, Texas, and New York; it is among the more popular surnames. The California, Texas and New York branches are the largest populations, including small but statistically significant populations in other states across the country, including Massachusetts, Illinois, Florida and Pennsylvania.
The DE Forre name is of French origin, originating from the region of Foret in Loire-Atlantique in France. Spellings of the name can vary, including De Forre, Dufour, Duefore and Fourre, all having similar pronunciations.
Immigration in the late 19th and early 20th centuries from Europe to the United States is likely to have been the source for the expansion of the DE Forre name, since records of the name have been found throughout a wide range of French speaking territories and colonies in the Caribbean, as well as in South America. This could explain why this name has been quite widely dispersed around the country.
Today, there are very few large concentrations of the DE Forre name in their ancestral county, Loire-Atlantique. A small number of the population still reside in the region, however, the influence of their original birthplace is limited. In conclusion, the last name DE Forre is most commonly found in the United States, particularly California, Texas, and New York.
Variations of the surname DE Forre
The surname DE Forre is an original French surname. It is typically thought to be derived from the Latin word 'foresta', meaning 'forest'. The variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin for 'DE Forre' include:
- DeForest
- De Forrest
- De Foret
- DeForesti
- De Foresta
- De Foreste
- Foret
- Forest
- Forrest
- Forsta
- Forstein
- Forrestal
DeForest and DeForesti are typically Italian versions of the surname, while De Foret and De Foreste are typical French renderings. Foret and Forest are more commonly recognized variants, while Forrestal, Forrest and Forsta are derived from the English language. Forstein is a variation of the German version. Each spelling of the surname have slight variations, although they all still carry the same origin.
The surname, regardless which variant it is, typically carries a strong connection to nature, with the prime example being that of a forest. Even visible in the Latin origin, the shared meaning typically centers around outdoors, wildlife and nature. By most accounts, the surname could have originated from a local region near a forest or presented itself as the name of a local woodsman. As its origins become more obscure with the passage of time, the surname continues to evolve, creating new spellings with similar meaning.
Famous people with the name DE Forre
- Mark DeForrest: a former Major League Baseball Manager
- Palmer DeForrest: a former American football safety
- Cliff deForrest: a former American diver
- Chris DeForrest: a former American basketball player
- James DeForrest: a former Canadian boxer
- Shirley DeForrest: a former tennis player from Australia
- Anne DeForrest: a former Canadian ice hockey player
- Phil DeForrest: a former American figure skater
- Kim DeForrest: an actress from the United Kingdom
- Walt DeForrest: a former American race car driver