NameTides

Foster

Foster was the #901 boys' name in the US in 2025 (264 babies), and #4,275 in England & Wales and #1,500 in Canada.

Foster as a boy’s name

  • US
  • England & Wales
  • Canada
Foster as a boy’s name, US, England & Wales, CanadaBabies per 1,000 in the published list, 1880–2025, for US, England & Wales, Canada. Gaps mark years with too few babies to be published.00.130.250.380.518801900192019401960198020002020USCanadaEngland & Wales
Foster as a boy’s name, US, England & Wales, CanadaBabies per 1,000 in the published list, 1880–2025, for US, England & Wales, Canada. Gaps mark years with too few babies to be published.00.130.250.380.51880192019602000
Babies per 1,000 of the same sex in each published list. Breaks in a line are years with too few babies to be published.
Show the numbers
YearUSEngland & WalesCanada
2025#901 (264)#4,275 (4)#1,500 (15)
2024#1,076 (202)—#1,353 (16)
2023#966 (232)—#1,115 (20)
2022#1,037 (213)#2,756 (7)#1,178 (18)
2021#1,006 (217)—#1,191 (18)
2020#961 (226)#3,848 (4)#1,176 (18)
2019#945 (227)#3,937 (4)#1,029 (21)
2018#1,077 (184)—#1,279 (15)
2017#936 (223)#3,996 (4)#971 (23)
2016#963 (214)#4,810 (3)#1,000 (22)
2015#1,032 (196)#2,707 (7)#1,007 (21)
2014#991 (209)#2,964 (6)#806 (29)
2013#937 (213)#3,822 (4)#944 (23)
2012#993 (200)#3,416 (5)#779 (30)
2011#1,544 (102)#3,300 (5)#1,038 (20)

The tide so far

  • Peaked in the US in 1896 at #279.
  • Holding steady over the last five years.
  • In the US records since the data begins in 1880.
  • A comeback: it faded for decades and is rising again.
  • In 2025, 5% of US babies named Foster were girls.

How common is it?

about 1 in 6,500 baby boys in the published US list for 2025.

In a group of 1,000 children born that year, you would expect to meet fewer than 1. How we work this out.

How common, country by country

WhereSexLatest yearShareVerdict
USBoys2025about 1 in 6,500uncommon
England & WalesBoys2025about 1 in 67,000rare
CanadaBoys2025about 1 in 11,000rare

Next year

On its recent trend, Foster is likely to keep falling in the US in 2026: about 1 in 6,800 baby boys. Likely range 1 in 5,500 to 1 in 8,400.

Estimate, not an official figure. How we estimate.

Across the US

Foster by state, 2025Alaska: fewer than 5 babiesAKMaine: fewer than 5 babiesMEWisconsin: fewer than 5 babiesWIVermont: fewer than 5 babiesVTNew Hampshire: fewer than 5 babiesNHWashington: #999WAIdaho: fewer than 5 babiesIDMontana: fewer than 5 babiesMTNorth Dakota: fewer than 5 babiesNDMinnesota: #718MNIllinois: #1,023ILMichigan: #641MINew York: #1,760NYMassachusetts: fewer than 5 babiesMAOregon: fewer than 5 babiesORNevada: fewer than 5 babiesNVWyoming: fewer than 5 babiesWYSouth Dakota: fewer than 5 babiesSDIowa: #571IAIndiana: #483INOhio: #650OHPennsylvania: #1,094PANew Jersey: fewer than 5 babiesNJConnecticut: fewer than 5 babiesCTRhode Island: fewer than 5 babiesRICalifornia: #1,829CAUtah: #473UTColorado: fewer than 5 babiesCONebraska: fewer than 5 babiesNEMissouri: fewer than 5 babiesMOKentucky: fewer than 5 babiesKYWest Virginia: fewer than 5 babiesWVVirginia: #727VAMaryland: fewer than 5 babiesMDDelaware: fewer than 5 babiesDEArizona: fewer than 5 babiesAZNew Mexico: fewer than 5 babiesNMKansas: fewer than 5 babiesKSArkansas: #444ARTennessee: #719TNNorth Carolina: #1,028NCSouth Carolina: #470SCDistrict of Columbia: fewer than 5 babiesDCOklahoma: #621OKLouisiana: #426LAMississippi: #471MSAlabama: #422ALGeorgia: #710GAHawaii: fewer than 5 babiesHITexas: #915TXFlorida: #1,256FL
Foster (boys) rank in each state, 2025. Hatched states recorded fewer than 5 babies.
  • #1–10
  • #11–50
  • #51–100
  • #101–500
  • below #500

Across Canada

ProvinceYearRankBabies
Ontario2024#1,5176

Foster (boys): rank in each province’s latest list. Only Quebec and Ontario publish full name lists; Ontario’s latest list is a year behind.

Spellings

Official statistics count each spelling separately, so we show them side by side rather than adding them up.

SpellingWhereSexLatest rankBabies
FosterCanadaBoys#1,50015
FosterEngland & WalesBoys#4,2754
FosterNorthern IrelandBoys—too few
FosterUSGirls#7,49114
FosterUSBoys#901264