ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 1914 First Year 2026 Last Year 2023 Peak Year #3618 Peak Rank 316 Total Count 29 Years Active 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Foster What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. The given name Foster is a variation of the surname Forster, meaning one who 'works in the forest'. It may also derive from the French forcetier, meaning 'maker of scissors'. It is both a given name and a surname. Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foster%5F%28given%5Fname%29) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foster%5F%28given%5Fname%29) 📖 ## The Story of Foster Foster first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 16 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2023, when 232 Fosters were born — ranking #966 that year. As of 2026, Foster ranks #1,066 for baby boys with 206 births, holding steady (-1%). In total, more than 13K Fosters have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time ## Popularity by State ME WA MT ND MN WI MI NY VT NH MA OR ID SD IA IL IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA NV WY NE MO KY WV VA MD DE DC UT CO KS AR TN NC SC AK AZ NM OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL Top 10 11-50 51-100 101-500 500+ No data 🎶 ## Names that sound like Foster Phonetically similar names — useful when Foster is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * Faster * [Fester](/fester) * Fister * Feaster * Fastr * Pfister * Fuster * [Foister](/foister) * Feister * Fosters * Fostered * Fost Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Foster What does the name Foster mean? The given name Foster is a variation of the surname Forster, meaning one who 'works in the forest'. It may also derive from the French forcetier, meaning 'maker of scissors'. It is both a given name and a surname. How popular is Foster in 2026? In 2026, Foster ranks #1,066 among boys' names in the U.S., with 206 babies given the name that year. When was Foster most popular? Foster reached its peak popularity in 2023, ranking #278 that year with 232 babies given the name. In which U.S. states is Foster most popular? Foster has historically been most popular in West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Foster. Is Foster a unisex name? In U.S. Social Security records, Foster is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name. What names go well with Foster? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Foster include Elton, Kayson, Archibald. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. ## Similar Names [👧AlvildePeak #3618](/alvilde)[👧ArbeliaPeak #3618](/arbelia)[👧ArbellePeak #3618](/arbelle)[👧AsuntaPeak #3618](/asunta)[👧BirtPeak #3618](/birt)[👧ColistaPeak #3618](/colista)[👧DolorousPeak #3618](/dolorous)[👧DomicellaPeak #3618](/domicella) ## About the name Foster Foster is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 13K births in the dataset. Foster's peak popularity came in 2023 when it ranked #278\. Use the chart and map above to compare Foster's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 2023 → ](/year/2023) * [ Names of the 2020s → ](/decade/2020s) * [ Names starting with "F" → ](/letter/f) * [ Browse all boy names → ](/names/boys) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships. * Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — [Behind the Name ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.