Find out how popular the last name Forster is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Forster.

Forster, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Forster surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Forster in America

Forster is the 3895th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Forster surname appeared 9,116 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Forster.

We can also compare 2010 data for Forster to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Forster

The surname Forster is an occupational name that originated from the Old English word "foresterie", which refers to a person who lived or worked in a forest. It is believed to have first appeared in England during the Anglo-Saxon period, around the 7th to 11th centuries.

The earliest known use of the name Forster can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was recorded as "Forestre" and "Forestarius". This historical record suggests that individuals with this surname were likely employed as foresters or wardens of royal hunting grounds and forests.

In the early medieval period, the name Forster was predominantly found in areas with significant woodland or forest regions, such as Yorkshire, Northumberland, and the Midlands. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name include William le Forester, who lived in Staffordshire in 1199, and Richard le Forester, mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk in 1230.

As time passed, the spelling of the name evolved, with variations like Forster, Foster, and Foster emerging. One notable bearer of this surname was John Forster (c. 1520-1602), an English Protestant reformer and martyr. Another prominent figure was Sir John Forster (1520-1602), an English soldier and border warden who played a crucial role in defending the English-Scottish border during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

In the literary realm, Edward Morgan Forster (1879-1970) was a renowned English novelist, essayist, and short story writer, best known for his works such as "A Room with a View", "Howards End", and "A Passage to India". He is widely regarded as one of the most influential writers of the 20th century.

Other notable individuals with the surname Forster include Robert Forster (1941-2019), an American actor known for his roles in films like "Jackie Brown" and "Breaking Bad"; Georg Forster (1754-1794), a German naturalist, ethnologist, and revolutionary writer; and John Forster (1812-1876), an English biographer and literary critic, best remembered for his biography of Charles Dickens.

While the surname Forster has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including North America, Australia, and various European countries, due to migration and historical events. However, its origins can be traced back to the Old English word "foresterie" and the occupation of forest wardens and workers in medieval England.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Forster

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Forster.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Forster was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Forster has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Forster was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Forster, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!