Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1976 (SND Vol. X, list of Scottish personal names).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
FORBES. A surname derived from the place-names Forbes in Aberdeenshire, orig. sounded as a dissyllable (Sc. 1730 Thomson Seasons Autumn 1042, 1754 R. Forbes Shop-Bill 35, 1785 Burns Scotch Drink xix., 1808 Scott Marmion iv. Intro. 132; Per., Fif., Lth., Ayr. 1915–26 Wilson; ne.Sc. 1975), and still preferably so. [′fɔrbɪs; anglicised fɔrbz]
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"Forbes ". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 3 Mar 2026 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/snd00089290>
