The first name Foster

In 2025, 4 boys were named Foster, making it the 4,275th most popular boys’ name. It peaked in 2008, with 8 births (#2,276).

Office for National Statistics; years with fewer than three births are not published and show as zero. Compare Foster with other names.

In 2025, 264 boys born in the United States were named Foster, the 901st most popular boys’ name that year.

US Social Security Administration, from applications for a Social Security card. A name is only published for a year when at least five babies were given it, so quieter years show as zero.

• Norman Foster Ramsey
  American physicist (1915–2011)
• David Foster Wallace
  American fiction writer and essayist (1962–2008)
• George Foster Peabody
  American banker and philanthropist (1852-1938)
• Foster Brooks
  American actor and comedian (1912-2001)
• Foster Moreau
  American football player (born 1997)
• Wallace F. Bennett
  American businessman and politician (1898–1993)
• Michael Ancram
  British politician and peer (1945–2024)
• Charles Bass
  American politician, born 1952
• Ephraim Graham
  Equestrian (1888–1962)

What does the name Foster mean?

English surname, reduced from Forster; also from the noun foster.

How popular is the name Foster?

In 2025, 4 boys born in England and Wales were named Foster, ranking 4,275th. Its peak was 2008, with 8 births.

Is Foster a boy's or a girl's name?

Mostly a boy's name: 98% of the 13,408 US babies named Foster since 1880 were boys.

When was Foster most popular?

2025 in the United States, when 264 babies were named Foster, its highest rank at 901st.

Is Foster also a surname?

Yes. Foster is used as a surname as well as a first name; its surname page has the origin and how many people carry it.