Foret History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France
England

Etymology of Foret

What does the name Foret mean?

The surname Foret 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 Foret family

The surname Foret 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 Foret family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Foret 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 Foret History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Foret 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 Foret family

Notable in the family name at this time was

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

Foret Ranking

In the United States, the name Foret is the 4,312^nd most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 2 However, in France, the name Foret is ranked the 1,217^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,596 people with that name. 3

Foret migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Foret Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Michel Foret, who arrived in Louisiana in 1719 4
Germain Foret, who arrived in South Carolina in 1756 4
Antoine Foret, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1763 4
Chariot Foret, who landed in Massachusetts in 1763 4
Mrs. Michel Foret, who landed in Massachusetts in 1763 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Foret (post 1700) +

Lawrence Joseph "L.J." Foret (1930-2002), American Cajun musician from the Houma, Louisiana
Sarah Elizabeth Foret (b. 1984), American actress, best known for her role as Sophie Kerr in Beautiful People
Jean Leon La Forêt (b. 1853), American politician, U.S. Vice Consul in Algiers, 1915-17 5
Fabien Foret (b. 1973), French professional motorcycle racer
Jade Foret (b. 1990), Belgian model born in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, Belgium

The Foret 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/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html