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.
The use of Foster as a given name has increased in recent years, and was the 1063rd most popular boys name in 2022, up 251 spots from 2021.
Notable people with the given name "Foster" include
A Foster Awintiti Akugri (born 1994), Ghanaian entrepreneur Foster Andersen (1940–2014), American football player Foster Appiah (born 2000), Ghanaian footballer
B Foster Bastios (born 1975), Ghanaian footballer Foster Bell (1814–1857), British jockey Foster Blackburne (1838–1909), English archdeacon Foster Blodgett (1827–1877), American politician Foster Brooks (1912–2001), American actor
C Foster Calder (1873–1960), Canadian politician Foster Campbell (born 1947), American politician Foster Castleman (1931–2020), American baseball player Foster Samuel Chipman (1829–??), American politician Foster Dwight Coburn (1846–1924), American farmer Foster Cummings (born 1973), Trinidadian politician Foster Cunliffe (1875–1916), English historian Foster Cunliffe (rugby union) (1854–1927), English rugby union footballer
D Foster DeWitt (born 1996), Canadian rugby union footballer Foster Rhea Dulles (1900–1970), American journalist Foster A. Dunlap (1905–1978), American politician
E Foster Edwards (1903–1980), American baseball player
F Foster Felger (1908–1984), American politician Foster Fitzsimmons (1912–1991), American novelist Foster Friess (1940–2021), American investment manager Foster Furcolo (1911–1995), American politician Foster Fyans (1790–1870), Irish military officer
G Foster Griffin (born 1995), American baseball player Foster Gunnison Jr. (1925–1994), American activist
H Foster Hedley (1908–1983), English footballer Foster Hewitt (1902–1985), Canadian radio broadcaster Foster Hirsch (born 1943), American author Foster Horan (born 1992), Irish rugby union footballer Foster Hutchinson (1724–1799), American judge Foster Hutchinson (Canadian judge) (1761–1815), Canadian judge
L Foster C. LaHue (1917–1996), American general Foster Langsdorf (born 1995), American soccer player Foster Loyer (born 1999), American basketball player
M Foster Malone (1887–1926), Canadian ice hockey player Foster G. McGaw (1897–1986), American philanthropist Foster E. Mohrhardt (1907–1992), American librarian Foster Moreau (born 1997), American football player
N Foster Namwera (born 1986), Malawian footballer
P Foster B. Porter (1891–1965), American politician Foster Powell (1734–1793), English athlete Foster Provost, American computer scientist
R Foster Robinson (1880–1967), English cricketer Foster Rockwell (1880–1942), American football player
S Foster Sarell (born 1998), American football player Foster J. Sayers (1924–1944), American soldier Foster Waterman Stearns (1881–1956), American politician Foster Stockwell (1929-2023), American writer Foster Sylvers (born 1962), American singer-songwriter
V Foster McGowan Voorhees (1865–1927), American politician
W Foster Watkins (1917–2002), American football player Foster Neville Woodward (1905–1985), British chemist
Z Foster Barham Zincke (1817–1893), English clergyman
Fictional characters
Foster from GO Jetters (although they call him Foz)
See also Foster (surname), a page for people with the surname "Foster" Foster (disambiguation), a disambiguation page for "Foster"
Notes