Forest

Forest comes from the English word, which reached English through Old French forest from the Late Latin forestis, a term for land outside an enclosed royal park. It was first used as a surname for people who lived or worked in a forest, then as a given name. The spelling Forrest is equally established and was made familiar by Winston Groom’s novel Forrest Gump and its film adaptation. Forest Whitaker, the American actor, won an Academy Award for his portrayal of Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland. The name belongs to a group of nature names such as Rowan and Heath.