Foster

Boy name

Foster has been given to 13,408 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 2025 and currently ranks #901 for boys (2025).

Meaning & origin

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

Origin: surnames

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Hover or tap the chart to read any year.

Total babies

13,408

Peak year

2025 (278 babies)

Rank in 2025

#901 for boys

First recorded

1880

10-year trend

▲ +35%

Gender split

2% girls / 98% boys

Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Foster.

13,513 babies since 1913

13,282 babies since 1884

13,568 babies since 1970

13,231 babies since 1907

13,221 babies since 1993

13,624 babies since 1913

13,174 babies since 1881

13,141 babies since 1993

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