Foster

Foster: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “forester; keeper of the forest”
Origin: English
Say it: FAW-ster · 2 syllables
Used for: Boys (98% of all uses)

An English surname from occupational or topographic forms related to Forester. As a given name, it follows the surname-style pattern.

English names Names meaning nature Names meaning tree Surname-style names

How popular is Foster?

202467.0 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Foster in 2024223

2024 rank#1,074 boys

Peak year1882

Total US babies since 188013,130

Foster has been fairly stable over the last fifteen years.

Names like Foster

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

JackGod is gracious · English
Hudsonson of Hudd · English
Jacksonson of Jack · English
Cartercart driver · English
Wyattbrave in war · English
Maverickindependent person · English
Masonstoneworker · English
Graysonson of the steward · English

Foster questions

What does the name Foster mean?

Foster means "forester; keeper of the forest". It comes from English. An English surname from occupational or topographic forms related to Forester. As a given name, it follows the surname-style pattern.

Is Foster a boy or girl name?

Foster is mainly a boy's name in US records (98% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Foster?

223 US babies were named Foster in 2024. Its peak year was 1882.

How do you pronounce Foster?

Foster is usually pronounced FAW-ster.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.