Norman Foster
There are approximately 75 people named Norman Foster living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 4,570,058 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Norman with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Foster. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and Census demographics where available.
Expected bearers
75
1 in 4,570,058
Named Norman
102K
Alive today
Named Foster
251K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 102K
Rarity: Common
Gender: Male
Peak year: 1928
Average age: 67
Top Census group: White (77.2%)
Estimated bearers: 251K
Rarity: Common
Census rank: #104
Per 100K: 73.21
Top ancestry: White (67.0%)
First name trend
Norman: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Norman. The peak year was 1928 with 5,637 births. The average person named Norman today is 67 years old.
Babies born per year
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Norman
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the first name Norman, from the 2020 US Census Bureau first-name tables. The largest published group is White at 77.2%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Norman described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the name Norman at the time of the Census. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- White77.2% · 84,416
- Black or African American11.9% · 13,070
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 4,559
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.5% · 3,837
- Two or more races2.2% · 2,392
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1,108
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Foster surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Foster, from the 2020 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 67.0%.
The bar chart below shows how people with the surname Foster described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. These are self-reported numbers, and they describe the population who happened to carry the surname Foster at the time of the Census. A surname does not determine a person's race or ethnicity.
- 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
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Norman has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0297% of the US population, based on 101,822 estimated living Americans carrying this first name (from SSA birth records going back to 1880, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables).
Even though the Census Bureau now publishes first-name tables, we do not use that file as the main first-name input for this estimate. The latest first-name Census snapshot is from 2020, which makes it 6 years old today. Because Census first-name data is only released once every 10 years, SSA birth records plus CDC survival rates give a better current estimate of how many people are likely alive with the name Norman right now.
The surname Foster appears at a rate of 73.21 per 100,000 residents in the 2020 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0732%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 75 people with the full name Norman Foster. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Norman
Related
Other people with the surname Foster
FAQ
Norman Foster: questions and answers
How many people are named Norman Foster?
We estimate approximately 75 people in the United States share the full name Norman Foster. That works out to about 1 in 4,570,058 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0297%) with the surname frequency (73.21 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Norman Foster?
We classify Norman Foster as "Very Rare". About 1 in 4,570,058 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Norman a male or female name?
Norman is predominantly male. Out of 254,586 total SSA registrations, 99.4% were male and 0.6% were female. See the full Norman profile for detailed gender data.
Where does this data come from?
First-name data comes from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files (1880 to 2024). Surname data comes from the 2020 US Census Bureau decennial surname tables. Living-bearer estimates use CDC actuarial life tables to adjust for mortality. Read the full methodology.
How common is the name Norman Foster?
If you just want to know how many people are called Norman Foster, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.