The Foster surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 227,764 people carried this name — #99 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 1,300 people counted. That is up 3% from 221,040 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Foster surname
An English surname originating as an occupation, variant of Forster.
English surname, reduced from Forster; also from the noun foster.
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Foster» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890
Ireland registered 57 births for the Foster name in 1890.
They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 2,500 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. 6 of them were indexed under other spellings of the name. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Antrim and Dublin.”
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they were born, 1890
Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 223 people named Foster live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
174 people named Foster live in Switzerland.
They live in 10 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 119 people named Foster.
Most of them — 85 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 15 départements, most often Paris.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Poland’s population register
38 people named Foster have a registered home in Poland.
Of the 140 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 9 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Masovian.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.
In Belgium’s population register
At least 38 people named Foster live in Belgium.
Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in East Flanders.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In the Nordic population registers
156 people named Foster are counted in Sweden and Finland.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In print
Foster in American newspapers,
1898–1929.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 2,257,700 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Foster,
with a public archive behind them.
-
Stephen Clark Foster 1799–1872 · politician -
Henry A. Foster 1800–1889 · judge -
Abby Kelley Foster 1811–1887 · suffragette -
Dwight Foster 1828–1884 · judge -
George P. Foster 1835–1879 · teacher
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 195 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Foster.
- Fortune 11,748 · U.S. census
- Fos 213 · U.S. census
- Fossati 250 · U.S. census
- Fosse 739 · U.S. census
- Fossey 282 · U.S. census
- Fossier 157 · U.S. census
- Foti 2,690 · U.S. census
- Foubert 172 · U.S. census
- Foucault 400 · U.S. census
- Fouche 1,147 · U.S. census
- Foucher 412 · U.S. census
- Fougere 521 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Foster is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.