Given name & surname · also Middle English
Foster
“a forest ranger”
Foster is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “a forest ranger.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “a forest ranger.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Middle English.
How it developed
It entered given-name use through an existing surname.
The story
Its naming history includes the use of a family name as a given name.
Foster through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 13,408
- 13,122 boys · 286 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 278 babies
- 2025
- 278
- #901 for boys · #7,611 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +6%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 264 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 901 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 5.0% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 14 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (27). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 7,033 as a first name in 2020; 218,824 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.
Foster’s family of names
Foster has a related form in Fost. Foster has a related form in Foste. Foster has a related form in Fostea.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named Foster
- Foster BrooksAmerican actor and comedian (1912-2001)
- Foster MoreauAmerican football player (born 1997)
- Foster V. BrownAmerican politician (1852-1937)
- Foster SylversAmerican singer1962–2026
- Foster McGowan VoorheesAmerican politician (1856-1927)
- Foster W. StearnsAmerican politician (1881-1956)
- Foster FriessAmerican businessman (1940–2021)
- Foster CunliffeCricketer and historian1875–1916
- Foster HewittCanadian broadcaster1902–1985
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Foster, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Ford
“from the water” · “from the river crossing”
>99% boys
Woods
“a woman of the forest” · “a man of the forest”
98% boys · 2% girls
Jett
“resembling the jet-black lustrous gemstone”
98% boys · 2% girls
Hudson
“one who is adventurous; an explorer” · “the son of Hugh; from the river”
99% boys · 1% girls
Locke
“man of the forest” · “from the fortress”
>99% boys
Marriner
“of the sea; a seaman; a sailor”
75% boys · 25% girls
Horsley
“from the horse meadow”
>99% boys
Hockley
“from the high meadow”
>99% boys