2000
#87
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 221,040
First available Census row
Per 100,000 81.94
Common Last name
Foster
An English occupational surname referring to a saddle tree maker or a nickname for a foster parent.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 250,931 Americans carry the last name Foster. That puts it at #104 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 73.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,366 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Foster 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 Foster with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
251K
1 in 1,366
Census rank
#104
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
73.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
219K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 218,824 bearers of the surname Foster in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 73.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 104th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Foster, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.0%. The next largest groups are Black (23.2%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Foster
The surname Foster originated in England and dates back to the 12th century. It is an occupational name derived from the Old English word "foster," meaning "to nourish, supply with food, or raise up a child." The name was initially given to a foster parent or someone who cared for children whose parents were deceased or unable to care for them.
During the medieval period, the Foster surname was found in various parts of England, including Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Northumberland. One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name is in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1166, which list a Robert le Foster.
The Foster name also appears in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of land ownership and taxation commissioned by William the Conqueror. The book mentions several individuals with the surname, such as Robert Foster and William Foster, indicating the name's early presence in England.
In the 13th century, the surname Foster was associated with several notable individuals. One of them was Sir Reginald le Foster, who served as the Sheriff of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire in 1281. Another was John Foster, a prominent merchant and landowner in Yorkshire, who lived during the same period.
The Foster surname has also been linked to various place names in England, such as Foston in Derbyshire and Foston in Leicestershire. These place names likely derived from the Old English words "fos" meaning "fosse" or ditch, and "tun" meaning a farm or settlement.
Throughout history, several famous individuals have borne the Foster surname. One notable example is Stephen Foster (1826-1864), an American songwriter known as the "Father of American Music." He composed numerous popular songs, including "Oh! Susanna," "Camptown Races," and "Beautiful Dreamer."
Another well-known bearer of the Foster surname was Sir Norman Foster (born 1935), a renowned British architect who designed iconic structures like the Millau Viaduct in France and the Gherkin in London.
Other noteworthy individuals with the Foster surname include Jodie Foster (born 1962), an American actress and director; Phoebe Foster (1854-1935), an American philanthropist and social reformer; and Sir Vere Foster (1819-1900), a British civil engineer and designer of the first modern flush toilet.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Foster
Among Census respondents with the surname Foster, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.0%. The next largest groups are Black (23.2%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Foster 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 Foster surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.0% · 146,615
- Black or African American23.2% · 50,721
- Two or more races4.6% · 10,096
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 8,051
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1,767
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 1,574
Timeline
Historical Census data for Foster
Foster 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
#99
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 227,764
+6,724 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 77.21
Rank movement Down 12 places
2020
#104
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 218,824
-8,940 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 73.21
Rank movement Down 5 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #87 | 221,040 | 81.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #99 | 227,764 | 77.21 | +6,724 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 12 places |
| 2020 | #104 | 218,824 | 73.21 | -8,940 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 5 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 Foster 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 | #99 | #104 | -5.1% |
| Count | 227,764 | 218,824 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 77.21 | 73.21 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Foster bearers went from 227,764 to 218,824 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 5 positions in the national ranking, going from #99 to #104.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Foster
FAQ
Foster surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Foster?
Name Census estimates that about 250,931 living Americans carry the surname Foster. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,366 residents.
How common is Foster?
Foster ranks #104 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 73.21 per 100,000 residents, which is about 73 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 218,824 people with the surname Foster. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (250,931), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 73.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 73.21 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 73 of them to have the surname Foster.
Has Foster become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Foster went from 227,764 recorded bearers to 218,824. That is a decrease of 8,940 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #99 to #104.
What does the Census say about the background of Foster?
Among Census respondents with the surname Foster, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.0%. The next largest groups are Black (23.2%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Foster in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.0% (146,615 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Foster appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.0%), Black (23.2%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Foster (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 Foster mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a saddle tree maker or a nickname for a foster parent. 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 Foster (73.21 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 Foster?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Foster at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.