How common is the last name Foster?

218,824 people in the United States have the last name Foster, about 1 in 1,366. It ranks #104 of 156,621 last names in the 2020 Census.

last name

FOSTER

#104

of 156,621 last names recorded in the 2020 Census

People
218,824
About
1 in 1,366
This common or more
17.1%
Who bears it

Of the 218,824 people with the last name Foster, 67% reported their origin as White, 23.2% as Black and 4.6% as two or more races. These count how people described themselves on the 2020 Census, not where the name comes from.

Either side of Foster

#102 Sanders · 221,987#103 Myers · 220,983#105 Powell · 216,911#106 Jenkins · 213,644

Spelled almost the same

One last name in the 2020 Census spelled within a letter or two of Foster, most common first.

#43,758 Foister · 531

Also a first name

As a first name, Foster ranks #3,122 of 53,615, with 7,033 people. As a baby name it peaked in 2025, with 278 births. See Foster as a first name

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