2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Foerstner
A locational surname for someone who lived near forestland or woodland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Foerstner. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Foerstner surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Foerstner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Foerstner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Foerstner
The surname Foerstner is believed to have originated in Germany, likely in the 16th or 17th century. It is derived from the German word "Förster," which means "forester" or "forest ranger." This suggests that the name was originally an occupational surname given to someone who worked as a forester or lived near a forest.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the birth records of the town of Murrhardt, located in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, where a child named Johann Foerstner was born in 1642. The name also appears in various church records and documents from other regions of Germany during this period.
In the 18th century, a notable figure named Johann Foerstner (1722-1798) was a German theologian and philosopher who wrote extensively on topics such as ethics and natural law. He served as a professor at the University of Halle and was highly regarded in academic circles during his lifetime.
Another prominent individual with this surname was the German-born American inventor and industrialist Benjamin Foerstner (1833-1897). He is best known for developing the Foerstner bit, a specialized type of drill bit used in woodworking and metalworking. His patented design revolutionized the manufacturing of various products and is still widely used today.
In the field of music, a composer named Carl Foerstner (1842-1906) gained recognition for his works, which included operas, symphonies, and chamber music. He was born in Saxony, Germany, and spent much of his career in Leipzig, where he served as the director of the city's orchestra.
Turning to the world of literature, a German author named Christoph Foerstner (1888-1963) wrote several novels and short stories during the early 20th century. His works often explored themes of love, family, and the struggles of ordinary people in a rapidly changing society.
Throughout history, variations of the name Foerstner have been found in various regions of Germany, such as Forstner, Förster, and Forster. Some of these spelling variations may have been influenced by local dialects or linguistic quirks in different areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Foerstner
Among Census respondents with the surname Foerstner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Foerstner bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Foerstner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 108
- Hispanic or Latino7.7% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Foerstner
Foerstner appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
+20 bearers (+19.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,646 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-6 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,821 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | +20 bearers (+19.4%) | Up 10,646 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 7,821 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Foerstner surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #136,449 | #144,270 | -5.7% |
| Count | 123 | 117 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Foerstner bearers went from 123 to 117 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 7,821 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #144,270.
FAQ
Foerstner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Foerstner?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Foerstner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Foerstner?
Foerstner ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 117 people with the surname Foerstner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Foerstner.
Has Foerstner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Foerstner went from 123 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 6 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Foerstner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Foerstner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Foerstner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Foerstner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Hispanic (7.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Foerstner (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Foerstner mean?
A locational surname for someone who lived near forestland or woodland. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Foerstner (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Foerstner?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.