Foster
Foster was the 901st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 264 babies. Its best year was 1896, when it ranked 280th; the most babies were born in 2025 (264). Over the last ten years it has moved up 132 places. More babies were named Foster in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning forester; also foster-parent · English
Say it FAW-ster /ˈfɔstər/
- Rank in 2025
- #901 boys, up 61 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 264boys
- Girls and boys
- 8% girls, 92% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2025264 babies
- Total since 1880
- 13,408babies recorded
What does the name Foster mean?
Foster is an English surname with more than one source. Bardsley (1901) and Wiktionary both treat it mainly as a shortened form of Forster, an occupational name for a forester, the keeper of a forest. Wiktionary adds a second possible source, the word foster, from Old English fōstor 'food, nourishment', as in foster-parent. As a first name it is a transfer from the surname.
forster (Middle English, “forester”)fōstor (Old English, “food, nourishment”)
How sure is this? Probable. Two origins are possible; the forester sense is the usual explanation.
Related names: Forster.
See also: English names, names from occupations.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Foster', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wiktionary, entry 'foster', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (1901), s.v. 'Foster', Henry Frowde (public domain; Internet Archive scan)
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
Foster popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #7,611 | #901 | 14 | 264 |
| 2020 | #5,720 | #962 | 21 | 226 |
| 2010 | #17,901 | #1,353 | 5 | 126 |
| 2000 | #12,216 | #1,318 | 7 | 98 |
| 1990 | — | #1,640 | — | 50 |
| 1980 | — | #1,827 | — | 31 |
| 1970 | — | #1,304 | — | 41 |
| 1960 | — | #1,061 | — | 53 |
| 1950 | — | #722 | — | 90 |
| 1940 | — | #627 | — | 90 |
| 1930 | — | #548 | — | 121 |
| 1920 | — | #418 | — | 201 |
| 1910 | — | #417 | — | 42 |
| 1900 | — | #420 | — | 29 |
| 1890 | — | #373 | — | 23 |
| 1880 | — | #448 | — | 16 |
How popular is Foster, counting every spelling?
Foster has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #868 for boys in 2025, against #901 on the official list.
How many kids will share the name Foster?
264 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Foster (0.07 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Foster born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 32 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Foster.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Foster?
About 7,100 people born in the US named Foster are alive today, with a median age of 20; half are between 9 and 47. That makes Foster mostly worn by children and young adults. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Foster by state
How common Foster was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Alabama (3.1×), Louisiana (2.9×), Utah (2.9×), Indiana (2.8×), Tennessee (2.2×). In 19 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Foster: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Foster, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Foster · Sibling names for Foster
Questions about the name Foster
What does Foster mean?
Foster means “forester; also foster-parent” (English origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Foster?
Foster was the 901st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 264 babies. Its best year was 1896, when it ranked 280th; the most babies were born in 2025 (264). Over the last ten years it has moved up 132 places. More babies were named Foster in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Foster a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 8% girls, 92% boys given the name Foster in the US.
Where is Foster most popular?
In 2021–2025, Foster was most common in Alabama (0.40 per 1,000 boys), followed by Louisiana and Utah.