Foster

#7,491 for girls in 2025, 14 births · #901 for boys in 2025, 264 births
Given to boys 97.9% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1894 · 40 births
Debut · boys
16 births
In top 100 · boys
never
of 146 years
Total births · boys
13,122
since 1880

Foster over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Foster has never cracked the top 200 here.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020202017peak #278, 1894boys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#7,49114#901264
2024#5,79921#1,076202
2023#5,12625#966232
2022#6,98416#1,037213
2021#6,69117#1,006217
2020#5,66721#961226
2019#7,34215#945227
2018#8,61712#1,077184
2017#7,09216#936223
2016#9,41111#963214
2015#10,14810#1,032196
2014#9,51711#991209
2013#11,0009#937213
2012#16,8695#993200
2011#1,544102
2010#16,9925#1,349126
2009#1,443116
2008#17,5045#1,73687
2007#1,65093
2006#9,90111#1,51999
2005#1,61984
2004#16,0995#1,328111
2003#1,40095
2002#1,268107
2001#1,38791
2000#11,8017#1,31498
1999#1,158113
1998#11,1387#1,172106
1997#10,8367#1,116113
1996#1,33481
1995#13,3865#1,081109
1994#1,19293
1993#13,4425#1,32174
1992#1,52558
1991#1,61552
1990#1,63550
1989#1,85840
1988#1,70641
1987#1,65541
1986#2,09627
1985#1,52443
1984#1,76432
1983#1,65135
1982#1,65436
1981#1,66135
1980#1,80831
1979#1,46441
1978#1,65233
1977#1,33546
1976#1,46937
1975#1,34542
1974#1,69228
1973#1,43535
1972#1,68027
1971#1,63729
1970#1,29741
1969#1,60526
1968#1,11945
1967#1,16541
1966#1,29934
1965#1,06448
1964#1,02554
1963#1,19542
1962#1,00758
1961#88275
1960#1,05853
1959#91969
1958#92867
1957#88473
1956#80486
1955#86273
1954#93962
1953#83973
1952#78181
1951#76683
1950#72190
1949#664107
1948#626117
1947#615122
1946#68988
1945#586106
1944#594107
1943#581119
1942#4,6225#575116
1941#62893
1940#62690
1939#63686
1938#559108
1937#570102
1936#62886
1935#534117
1934#560111
1933#577100
1932#59299
1931#557111
1930#546121
1929#543117
1928#588110
1927#485155
1926#465167
1925#4,9735#481159
1924#472171
1923#4,9675#461176
1922#4,4456#442189
1921#431199
1920#418201
1919#429188
1918#406212
1917#426177
1916#387204
1915#419166
1914#3,6185#404138
1913#381122
1912#39196
1911#35361
1910#41542
1909#40836
1908#35541
1907#42929
1906#32141
1905#37031
1904#30042
1903#36028
1902#36030
1901#29136
1900#41929
1899#29435
1898#31637
1897#29937
1896#27943
1895#35827
1894#27840
1893#28736
1892#28441
1891#29132
1890#36923
1889#33827
1888#35926
1887#40917
1886#36922
1885#34425
1884#39920
1883#28932
1882#29434
1881#34822
1880#44216
First appearance
1880

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
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
  • 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)
Rise & fade · boys
14 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1894 at #278 (40 births)
  • Not yet halved from its peak
Top of the charts · boys
Top 1,000 for 90 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: never
  • Top 1,000: 90 yrs · run 1880–1959
Share of babies · boys
1 in 2,781
  • 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
Era · boys
The 2010s
  • 14.4% of all boys named Foster (1,894) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s241#289 (1883)#359
1890s351#278 (1894)#306
1900s343#291 (1901)#361
1910s1,406#353 (1911)#401
1920s1,644#418 (1920)#479
1930s1,041#534 (1935)#576
1940s1,065#575 (1942)#618
1950s757#721 (1950)#844
1960s476#882 (1961)#1,142
1970s359#1,297 (1970)#1,501
1980s361#1,524 (1985)#1,738
1990s849#1,081 (1995)#1,315
2000s981#1,268 (2002)#1,466
2010s1,894#936 (2017)#1,077
2020s1,354#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 2017

girls
#7,092
16 births · 1 in 107,904 girls
boys
#936
223 births · 1 in 8,300 boys

Top girls' names in 2017

  1. #1Emma19,873
  2. #2Olivia18,778
  3. #3Ava16,017
  4. #4Isabella15,263
  5. #5Sophia14,947
  6. #6Mia13,521
  7. #7Charlotte12,969
  8. #8Amelia11,870
  9. #9Evelyn10,748
  10. #10Abigail10,645
  11. #7,092Foster16

Top boys' names in 2017

  1. #1Liam18,874
  2. #2Noah18,507
  3. #3William15,046
  4. #4James14,362
  5. #5Logan14,061
  6. #6Benjamin13,858
  7. #7Mason13,602
  8. #8Elijah13,449
  9. #9Jacob13,269
  10. #10Oliver13,224
  11. #936Foster223
More about 2017

girls

1,726,461 girls got a published name in 2017; 1 in 107,904 of them was named Foster, which outranked 61.6% of the 18,448 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 8.4% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Foster
  1. #6,808Zaraya17
  2. #6,808Zowie17
  3. #6,808Zuriah17
  4. #7,092Foster16
  5. #7,092Aanika16
  6. #7,092Abra16
  7. #7,092Abrie16
  8. #7,442Aalijah15
  9. #7,442Abriel15
  10. #7,442Adalei15

Tied with 349 names at #7,092; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 2016
Risers
  1. 1,443Ensley#2,412#969
  2. 1,020Oaklynn#1,908#888
  3. 842Dream#1,667#825
  4. 749Oaklyn#1,425#676
  5. 717Melania#1,649#932
Fallers
  1. 263Julianne#919#1,182
  2. 243Milania#947#1,190
  3. 240Wendy#858#1,098
  4. 238Montserrat#808#1,046
  5. 224Nathaly#930#1,154

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,850,956 boys got a published name in 2017; 1 in 8,300 of them was named Foster, which outranked 93.4% of the 14,262 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 8.0% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Foster
  1. #929Zayd225
  2. #934Camilo224
  3. #934Eason224
  4. #936Foster223
  5. #936Agustin223
  6. #936Koa223
  7. #936Nickolas223
  8. #940Jabari222
  9. #940Lyric222
  10. #940Shmuel222

Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 2016
Risers
  1. 497Wells#1,413#916
  2. 419Kairo#1,221#802
  3. 339Caspian#1,199#860
  4. 313Colson#1,049#736
  5. 311Kace#1,183#872
Fallers
  1. 415Riaan#861#1,276
  2. 292Chevy#980#1,272
  3. 245Kylo#904#1,149
  4. 226Braeden#993#1,219
  5. 194Kamdyn#809#1,003

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 2017