Foster
#7,491 for girls in 2025, 14 births · #901 for boys in 2025, 264 births
Given to boys 97.9% of the time
- Peak · boys
- 1894 · 40 births
- Debut · boys
- 16 births
- In top 100 · boys
- neverof 146 years
- Total births · boys
- 13,122since 1880
Foster over time
Rank among boys' names. Foster has never cracked the top 200 here.
Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.
Show data table
| Year | girls | boys | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| rank | births | rank | births | |
| 2025 | #7,491 | 14 | #901 | 264 |
| 2024 | #5,799 | 21 | #1,076 | 202 |
| 2023 | #5,126 | 25 | #966 | 232 |
| 2022 | #6,984 | 16 | #1,037 | 213 |
| 2021 | #6,691 | 17 | #1,006 | 217 |
| 2020 | #5,667 | 21 | #961 | 226 |
| 2019 | #7,342 | 15 | #945 | 227 |
| 2018 | #8,617 | 12 | #1,077 | 184 |
| 2017 | #7,092 | 16 | #936 | 223 |
| 2016 | #9,411 | 11 | #963 | 214 |
| 2015 | #10,148 | 10 | #1,032 | 196 |
| 2014 | #9,517 | 11 | #991 | 209 |
| 2013 | #11,000 | 9 | #937 | 213 |
| 2012 | #16,869 | 5 | #993 | 200 |
| 2011 | — | #1,544 | 102 | |
| 2010 | #16,992 | 5 | #1,349 | 126 |
| 2009 | — | #1,443 | 116 | |
| 2008 | #17,504 | 5 | #1,736 | 87 |
| 2007 | — | #1,650 | 93 | |
| 2006 | #9,901 | 11 | #1,519 | 99 |
| 2005 | — | #1,619 | 84 | |
| 2004 | #16,099 | 5 | #1,328 | 111 |
| 2003 | — | #1,400 | 95 | |
| 2002 | — | #1,268 | 107 | |
| 2001 | — | #1,387 | 91 | |
| 2000 | #11,801 | 7 | #1,314 | 98 |
| 1999 | — | #1,158 | 113 | |
| 1998 | #11,138 | 7 | #1,172 | 106 |
| 1997 | #10,836 | 7 | #1,116 | 113 |
| 1996 | — | #1,334 | 81 | |
| 1995 | #13,386 | 5 | #1,081 | 109 |
| 1994 | — | #1,192 | 93 | |
| 1993 | #13,442 | 5 | #1,321 | 74 |
| 1992 | — | #1,525 | 58 | |
| 1991 | — | #1,615 | 52 | |
| 1990 | — | #1,635 | 50 | |
| 1989 | — | #1,858 | 40 | |
| 1988 | — | #1,706 | 41 | |
| 1987 | — | #1,655 | 41 | |
| 1986 | — | #2,096 | 27 | |
| 1985 | — | #1,524 | 43 | |
| 1984 | — | #1,764 | 32 | |
| 1983 | — | #1,651 | 35 | |
| 1982 | — | #1,654 | 36 | |
| 1981 | — | #1,661 | 35 | |
| 1980 | — | #1,808 | 31 | |
| 1979 | — | #1,464 | 41 | |
| 1978 | — | #1,652 | 33 | |
| 1977 | — | #1,335 | 46 | |
| 1976 | — | #1,469 | 37 | |
| 1975 | — | #1,345 | 42 | |
| 1974 | — | #1,692 | 28 | |
| 1973 | — | #1,435 | 35 | |
| 1972 | — | #1,680 | 27 | |
| 1971 | — | #1,637 | 29 | |
| 1970 | — | #1,297 | 41 | |
| 1969 | — | #1,605 | 26 | |
| 1968 | — | #1,119 | 45 | |
| 1967 | — | #1,165 | 41 | |
| 1966 | — | #1,299 | 34 | |
| 1965 | — | #1,064 | 48 | |
| 1964 | — | #1,025 | 54 | |
| 1963 | — | #1,195 | 42 | |
| 1962 | — | #1,007 | 58 | |
| 1961 | — | #882 | 75 | |
| 1960 | — | #1,058 | 53 | |
| 1959 | — | #919 | 69 | |
| 1958 | — | #928 | 67 | |
| 1957 | — | #884 | 73 | |
| 1956 | — | #804 | 86 | |
| 1955 | — | #862 | 73 | |
| 1954 | — | #939 | 62 | |
| 1953 | — | #839 | 73 | |
| 1952 | — | #781 | 81 | |
| 1951 | — | #766 | 83 | |
| 1950 | — | #721 | 90 | |
| 1949 | — | #664 | 107 | |
| 1948 | — | #626 | 117 | |
| 1947 | — | #615 | 122 | |
| 1946 | — | #689 | 88 | |
| 1945 | — | #586 | 106 | |
| 1944 | — | #594 | 107 | |
| 1943 | — | #581 | 119 | |
| 1942 | #4,622 | 5 | #575 | 116 |
| 1941 | — | #628 | 93 | |
| 1940 | — | #626 | 90 | |
| 1939 | — | #636 | 86 | |
| 1938 | — | #559 | 108 | |
| 1937 | — | #570 | 102 | |
| 1936 | — | #628 | 86 | |
| 1935 | — | #534 | 117 | |
| 1934 | — | #560 | 111 | |
| 1933 | — | #577 | 100 | |
| 1932 | — | #592 | 99 | |
| 1931 | — | #557 | 111 | |
| 1930 | — | #546 | 121 | |
| 1929 | — | #543 | 117 | |
| 1928 | — | #588 | 110 | |
| 1927 | — | #485 | 155 | |
| 1926 | — | #465 | 167 | |
| 1925 | #4,973 | 5 | #481 | 159 |
| 1924 | — | #472 | 171 | |
| 1923 | #4,967 | 5 | #461 | 176 |
| 1922 | #4,445 | 6 | #442 | 189 |
| 1921 | — | #431 | 199 | |
| 1920 | — | #418 | 201 | |
| 1919 | — | #429 | 188 | |
| 1918 | — | #406 | 212 | |
| 1917 | — | #426 | 177 | |
| 1916 | — | #387 | 204 | |
| 1915 | — | #419 | 166 | |
| 1914 | #3,618 | 5 | #404 | 138 |
| 1913 | — | #381 | 122 | |
| 1912 | — | #391 | 96 | |
| 1911 | — | #353 | 61 | |
| 1910 | — | #415 | 42 | |
| 1909 | — | #408 | 36 | |
| 1908 | — | #355 | 41 | |
| 1907 | — | #429 | 29 | |
| 1906 | — | #321 | 41 | |
| 1905 | — | #370 | 31 | |
| 1904 | — | #300 | 42 | |
| 1903 | — | #360 | 28 | |
| 1902 | — | #360 | 30 | |
| 1901 | — | #291 | 36 | |
| 1900 | — | #419 | 29 | |
| 1899 | — | #294 | 35 | |
| 1898 | — | #316 | 37 | |
| 1897 | — | #299 | 37 | |
| 1896 | — | #279 | 43 | |
| 1895 | — | #358 | 27 | |
| 1894 | — | #278 | 40 | |
| 1893 | — | #287 | 36 | |
| 1892 | — | #284 | 41 | |
| 1891 | — | #291 | 32 | |
| 1890 | — | #369 | 23 | |
| 1889 | — | #338 | 27 | |
| 1888 | — | #359 | 26 | |
| 1887 | — | #409 | 17 | |
| 1886 | — | #369 | 22 | |
| 1885 | — | #344 | 25 | |
| 1884 | — | #399 | 20 | |
| 1883 | — | #289 | 32 | |
| 1882 | — | #294 | 34 | |
| 1881 | — | #348 | 22 | |
| 1880 | — | #442 | 16 | |
In the first year the SSA published name data, Foster was already there! It came in at #442, and was given to 16 baby boys.
Quietest stretch: 1880–1881, when fewer than 23 boys a year got the name.
See more about Foster
- 175 spots since 2024 (#1,076 → #901)
- 60 spots since 2020 (#961 → #901)
- 131 spots since 2015 (#1,032 → #901)
- Biggest jump: 551 spots in 2012 (#1,544 → #993)
- Biggest drop: 141 spots in 2018 (#936 → #1,077)
- Debuted 1880
- Peaked 1894 at #278 (40 births)
- Not yet halved from its peak
- Top 10: never
- Top 100: never
- Top 1,000: 90 yrs · run 1880–1959
- Highest: 1 in 2,781 boys born in 1896 were named Foster (0.04%)
- Latest: 1 in 6,470 boys born in 2025 (0.02%)
- Its best rank, #278 in 1894, was only 1 in 2,894 (0.03%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
- 14.4% of all boys named Foster (1,894) were born in this decade
Show by decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank | Avg rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 241 | #289 (1883) | #359 |
| 1890s | 351 | #278 (1894) | #306 |
| 1900s | 343 | #291 (1901) | #361 |
| 1910s | 1,406 | #353 (1911) | #401 |
| 1920s | 1,644 | #418 (1920) | #479 |
| 1930s | 1,041 | #534 (1935) | #576 |
| 1940s | 1,065 | #575 (1942) | #618 |
| 1950s | 757 | #721 (1950) | #844 |
| 1960s | 476 | #882 (1961) | #1,142 |
| 1970s | 359 | #1,297 (1970) | #1,501 |
| 1980s | 361 | #1,524 (1985) | #1,738 |
| 1990s | 849 | #1,081 (1995) | #1,315 |
| 2000s | 981 | #1,268 (2002) | #1,466 |
| 2010s | 1,894 | #936 (2017) | #1,077 |
| 2020s | 1,354 | #901 (2025) | #991 |
All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.
Foster in 1942
Top girls' names in 1942
Top boys' names in 1942
More about 1942
girls
1,350,719 girls got a published name in 1942; 1 in 270,144 of them was named Foster, which outranked 14.1% of the 5,378 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 24.0% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).
Tied with 756 names at #4,622; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.
Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.
boys
1,381,161 boys got a published name in 1942; 1 in 11,907 of them was named Foster, which outranked 85.8% of the 4,044 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.8% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).
- #571Duncan117
- #571Houston117
- #571Sonny117
- #575Foster116
- #575Douglass116
- #575Emerson116
- #575Orlando116
- #580Carson115
- #580Felipe115
- #582Hiram114
Tied with 4 names at #575; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.
Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.