Foster
A masculine given name derived from an occupational surname meaning "forester" or "woodsman".
Name Census estimates that about 7,518 living Americans carry the first name Foster. It is a predominantly male name (97.9% of registrations). The average person named Foster today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Foster births was 2023 (257 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Foster. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Although Foster is used almost entirely for boys, the SSA data does show 272 girls registered with the name since 1880.
People living today
7.5K
~ 1 in 45,591 Americans
Peak year
2023
257 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,075
Tracked since 1880
Gender
Gender distribution for Foster
Foster leans heavily male at 97.9% of total registrations, but 272 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Foster as a male name
- Ranked #1,075 in 2024
- 202 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2023 (232 births)
Foster as a female name
- Ranked #5,838 in 2024
- 21 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2023 (25 births)
Popularity
Foster: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Foster from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 1,988 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Foster remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Foster by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Foster during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Fosters live
The SSA's state-level files cover 37 states and territories. Texas, Pennsylvania, Ohio recorded the most babies named Foster, while Arizona, South Dakota, Idaho recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 178 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Foster
The name Foster has its origins in the Old English language, deriving from the word "foestre," which means "nourisher" or "sustainer." This name was initially used as an occupational surname for those who served as foster parents or caregivers to children who were not their biological offspring.
During the Middle Ages, the practice of fostering children was common among noble families in medieval Europe. Foster children were often sent to live with other noble households to learn courtly manners, receive education, or forge alliances between families. As a result, the name Foster became associated with this tradition and gained prominence.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Foster can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as a surname in various spellings, such as "Fostere" and "Forster."
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Foster:
1. Stephen Foster (1826-1864), an American songwriter known as the "Father of American Music," who composed iconic songs such as "Oh! Susanna" and "Camptown Races."
2. Sir Michael Foster (1836-1907), an English physiologist and professor at the University of Cambridge, who made significant contributions to the study of physiology and the understanding of the human body.
3. Jodie Foster (born 1962), an American actress, director, and producer, renowned for her roles in films like "The Silence of the Lambs" and "The Accused," for which she won Academy Awards.
4. Norman Foster (born 1935), a prominent British architect known for his innovative and sustainable designs, including the Gherkin in London and the Millau Viaduct in France.
5. Vince Foster (1945-1993), an American lawyer and Deputy White House Counsel during the Clinton administration, whose tragic death sparked numerous investigations and conspiracy theories.
While the name Foster originated as an occupational surname, it has since transcended its initial meaning and has become a popular given name in its own right, reflecting the nurturing and protective qualities associated with its etymology.
People
Foster + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Foster as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with F
Other first names starting with F with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Foster: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Foster?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 7,518 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Foster going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 45,591 US residents.
Is Foster a common name?
We classify Foster as "Rare". It ranks above 97.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 13,130 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Foster most popular?
The single biggest year for Foster was 2023, when 257 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Foster is about 33 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Foster a male name?
Yes, 97.9% of people registered as Foster in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.