Given name & surname
Forster
“a woodland dweller”·“from the woodland”
Forster is a variant of Forest. Interpretations include “a woodland dweller” (English) and “from the woodland” (English). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Forster is a variant of Forest. Interpretations include “a woodland dweller” (English) and “from the woodland” (English). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Forster is a variant of Forest. An origin associated with Forest is English.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1920. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Forster through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 38
- 38 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1938
- 7 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 1947. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 7 in 1938. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 8,627 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Forster’s family of names
Forster has a related form in Forest. In English usage, Forster as a surname has a related form in Foster. In English usage, Forster as a surname has a conventional equivalent in the French form FORESTIER.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Forster has relatives in 4 languages.
6 related names in 4 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 5
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Forster
- Forster MutizwaZimbabwean cricketerborn 1985
- Forster AjagoGhanaian footballerborn 2001
- Forster Fitzgerald ArbuthnotBritish orientalist1833–1901
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Forster, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Forester
“a woodland dweller” · “from the woodland”
>99% boys
Fairley
“from the far meadow”
>99% boys
Mervyn
“a friend of the sea”
>99% boys
Glade
“from the meadow in the C woods” · “from the clearing in the woods”
>99% boys
Dahl
“from the valley; resembling the flower”
>99% boys
Amarante
“a flower that never fades”
>99% boys
Delmor
“a man of the sea”
>99% boys
Morley
“woman from the moor” · “from the meadow on the moor”
92% boys · 8% girls