2000
#3,615
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,033
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.35
Rare Last name
Forster
An occupational surname referring to a forest keeper, ranger, or woodsman managing and protecting the forest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,893 Americans carry the last name Forster. That puts it at #3,993 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 34,646 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Forster surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Forster with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.9K
1 in 34,646
Census rank
#3,993
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,627 bearers of the surname Forster in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3993rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Forster, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Black (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Forster
The surname Forster is an occupational name that originated from the Old English word "foresterie", which refers to a person who lived or worked in a forest. It is believed to have first appeared in England during the Anglo-Saxon period, around the 7th to 11th centuries.
The earliest known use of the name Forster can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was recorded as "Forestre" and "Forestarius". This historical record suggests that individuals with this surname were likely employed as foresters or wardens of royal hunting grounds and forests.
In the early medieval period, the name Forster was predominantly found in areas with significant woodland or forest regions, such as Yorkshire, Northumberland, and the Midlands. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name include William le Forester, who lived in Staffordshire in 1199, and Richard le Forester, mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk in 1230.
As time passed, the spelling of the name evolved, with variations like Forster, Foster, and Foster emerging. One notable bearer of this surname was John Forster (c. 1520-1602), an English Protestant reformer and martyr. Another prominent figure was Sir John Forster (1520-1602), an English soldier and border warden who played a crucial role in defending the English-Scottish border during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
In the literary realm, Edward Morgan Forster (1879-1970) was a renowned English novelist, essayist, and short story writer, best known for his works such as "A Room with a View", "Howards End", and "A Passage to India". He is widely regarded as one of the most influential writers of the 20th century.
Other notable individuals with the surname Forster include Robert Forster (1941-2019), an American actor known for his roles in films like "Jackie Brown" and "Breaking Bad"; Georg Forster (1754-1794), a German naturalist, ethnologist, and revolutionary writer; and John Forster (1812-1876), an English biographer and literary critic, best remembered for his biography of Charles Dickens.
While the surname Forster has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including North America, Australia, and various European countries, due to migration and historical events. However, its origins can be traced back to the Old English word "foresterie" and the occupation of forest wardens and workers in medieval England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Forster
Among Census respondents with the surname Forster, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Black (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Forster bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Forster surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.8% · 7,573
- Black or African American3.9% · 339
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 328
- Two or more races3.1% · 266
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 97
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Forster
Forster appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#3,895
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,116
+83 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 3.09
Rank movement Down 280 places
2020
#3,993
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,627
-489 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 2.89
Rank movement Down 98 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,615 | 9,033 | 3.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,895 | 9,116 | 3.09 | +83 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 280 places |
| 2020 | #3,993 | 8,627 | 2.89 | -489 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 98 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Forster surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,895 | #3,993 | -2.5% |
| Count | 9,116 | 8,627 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 3.09 | 2.89 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Forster bearers went from 9,116 to 8,627 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 98 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,895 to #3,993.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Forster
FAQ
Forster surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Forster?
Name Census estimates that about 9,893 living Americans carry the surname Forster. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 34,646 residents.
How common is Forster?
Forster ranks #3,993 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.89 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,627 people with the surname Forster. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,893), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.89 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Forster.
Has Forster become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Forster went from 9,116 recorded bearers to 8,627. That is a decrease of 489 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,895 to #3,993.
What does the Census say about the background of Forster?
Among Census respondents with the surname Forster, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Black (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Forster in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.8% (7,573 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Forster appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.8%), Black (3.9%), Hispanic (3.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Forster (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Forster mean?
An occupational surname referring to a forest keeper, ranger, or woodsman managing and protecting the forest. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Forster (2.89 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Forster?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Forster at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.