BabyNameLens · Girl names · Boy names
“Forest worker; or, less commonly, scissors maker” — English (Forster), possibly French (forcetier) origin
Boy's name · #901 in the US (2025) · Comeback
Foster was #280 in 1896, slipped to #2116 by 1986, and has climbed back to #901 today. Roughly 13,000 boys have been named Foster since 1880. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records. It is also an American family name — about 228,000 people carry it as a surname, according to US census data.
Around the world: about 1 in 9,900 boys in Canada (2024).
Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 28 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.
Among 94 notable people named Foster:
Political leaders appear 1.79× more often than among typical names — e.g. Foster Furcolo, US politician (1911-1995).
Similar names: Ollie · Forest · Lucius · Porter · Palmer · Chester
Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.