Meaning not yet researched.
Foster: US boys given the name each year, 1880 to 2025, from Social Security card applications. 264 in 2025. Its best rank was #280 in 1896.
US births per year · SSA card applications
Peaked at #280 in 1896; #901 in 2025. About 95% of babies named Foster in 2025 were boys.
Baby name · US data 1880–2025
#901 for US boys in 2025. Its best year was 1896, at #280.
Hover, tap or use the arrow keys for any year. Years with fewer than five babies of a sex are not published by SSA and show as zero.
Foster: US boys given the name each year from 1880 to 2025. 264 boys in 2025. Peak: #280 in 1896 · most boys in one year: 264 (2025).
In 2025, 264 US boys were named Foster, making it the 901st most common boys’ name of the year, up 177 places from #1,078 in 2024. That is 62 more than the 202 boys named Foster in 2024. Its best rank for boys was #280, reached in 1896. The most boys given the name in a single year was 264, in 2025. For comparison, it was #1,033 in 2015 and #722 in 1950.
Social Security card records list Foster in every one of the 146 years from 1880 to 2025; in 1880 there were 16 babies with the name. In all, 13,408 US babies have been given the name, 2.1% of them girls and 98% boys. Its busiest decade was the 2010s, with 1,988 babies named Foster.
Over the 10 years from 2016 to 2025, 2,202 US boys were named Foster; the busiest of those years was 2025, with 264. In 2025 that was about 1 in 6,470 of the boys in SSA’s list for the year.
Among the states, Foster ranked highest in Alabama in 2025, at #432 for boys there. It was not in the top 100 of any state. Rarer spellings such as Foyster and Foister are summarised on this page.
Meaning not yet researched.
We publish a meaning only with a cited source and a confidence label, and never generate one. Meanings are being researched for the most common names first.
No related spellings pass our data threshold.
Rare spellings summarised here: Foyster (5), Foister (5).
Numbers are all-time US births. Links come from Wikidata’s “said to be the same as” (P460, CC0) and our spelling rule: at most two letters different, with the same sound pattern.
No nicknames listed for Foster in the open dataset we use.
Source: carltonnorthern/nicknames (Apache-2.0).
US boys. Rank within each state. SSA leaves out states where fewer than five boys got the name, so 28 are not listed.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank 2025 | Rank 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 12 | #432 | #586 |
| Louisiana | 11 | #433 | — |
| Arkansas | 7 | #460 | — |
| South Carolina | 10 | #480 | #454 |
| Mississippi | 6 | #487 | — |
| Utah | 9 | #492 | — |
| Indiana | 14 | #497 | #938 |
| Iowa | 5 | #609 | — |
| Oklahoma | 6 | #648 | #595 |
| Michigan | 12 | #653 | #1,130 |
| Ohio | 14 | #656 | #662 |
| Georgia | 13 | #726 | #746 |
| Tennessee | 9 | #738 | #565 |
| Minnesota | 6 | #739 | — |
| Virginia | 9 | #758 | #825 |
| Texas | 27 | #918 | #1,048 |
| Washington | 5 | #1,055 | — |
| Illinois | 7 | #1,061 | #1,012 |
| North Carolina | 7 | #1,065 | — |
| Pennsylvania | 6 | #1,137 | — |
| Florida | 9 | #1,287 | #1,584 |
| New York | 5 | #1,847 | #1,695 |
| California | 8 | #1,888 | #2,368 |
Births and national rank for each year SSA lists the name, newest first.
| Year | Girls | Girls rank | Boys | Boys rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 14 | #7,611 | 264 | #901 |
| 2024 | 21 | #5,855 | 202 | #1,078 |
| 2023 | 25 | #5,170 | 232 | #966 |
| 2022 | 16 | #7,086 | 213 | #1,038 |
| 2021 | 17 | #6,787 | 217 | #1,011 |
| 2020 | 21 | #5,720 | 226 | #962 |
| 2019 | 15 | #7,479 | 227 | #945 |
| 2018 | 12 | #8,799 | 184 | #1,077 |
| 2017 | 16 | #7,204 | 223 | #937 |
| 2016 | 11 | #9,629 | 214 | #964 |
| 2015 | 10 | #10,380 | 196 | #1,033 |
| 2014 | 11 | #9,751 | 209 | #991 |
| 2013 | 9 | #11,312 | 213 | #937 |
| 2012 | 5 | #17,753 | 200 | #994 |
| 2011 | — | — | 102 | #1,550 |
| 2010 | 5 | #17,901 | 126 | #1,353 |
| 2009 | — | — | 116 | #1,446 |
| 2008 | 5 | #18,438 | 87 | #1,745 |
| 2007 | — | — | 93 | #1,653 |
| 2006 | 11 | #10,136 | 99 | #1,521 |
| 2005 | — | — | 84 | #1,622 |
| 2004 | 5 | #16,974 | 111 | #1,329 |
| 2003 | — | — | 95 | #1,403 |
| 2002 | — | — | 107 | #1,274 |
| 2001 | — | — | 91 | #1,387 |
| 2000 | 7 | #12,216 | 98 | #1,318 |
| 1999 | — | — | 113 | #1,159 |
| 1998 | 7 | #11,531 | 106 | #1,172 |
| 1997 | 7 | #11,223 | 113 | #1,119 |
| 1996 | — | — | 81 | #1,340 |
| 1995 | 5 | #14,173 | 109 | #1,082 |
| 1994 | — | — | 93 | #1,196 |
| 1993 | 5 | #14,224 | 74 | #1,326 |
| 1992 | — | — | 58 | #1,531 |
| 1991 | — | — | 52 | #1,619 |
| 1990 | — | — | 50 | #1,640 |
| 1989 | — | — | 40 | #1,867 |
| 1988 | — | — | 41 | #1,717 |
| 1987 | — | — | 41 | #1,668 |
| 1986 | — | — | 27 | #2,116 |
| 1985 | — | — | 43 | #1,529 |
| 1984 | — | — | 32 | #1,773 |
| 1983 | — | — | 35 | #1,666 |
| 1982 | — | — | 36 | #1,659 |
| 1981 | — | — | 35 | #1,674 |
| 1980 | — | — | 31 | #1,827 |
| 1979 | — | — | 41 | #1,472 |
| 1978 | — | — | 33 | #1,669 |
| 1977 | — | — | 46 | #1,346 |
| 1976 | — | — | 37 | #1,477 |
| 1975 | — | — | 42 | #1,349 |
| 1974 | — | — | 28 | #1,715 |
| 1973 | — | — | 35 | #1,447 |
| 1972 | — | — | 27 | #1,697 |
| 1971 | — | — | 29 | #1,646 |
| 1970 | — | — | 41 | #1,304 |
| 1969 | — | — | 26 | #1,618 |
| 1968 | — | — | 45 | #1,122 |
| 1967 | — | — | 41 | #1,167 |
| 1966 | — | — | 34 | #1,314 |
| 1965 | — | — | 48 | #1,073 |
| 1964 | — | — | 54 | #1,030 |
| 1963 | — | — | 42 | #1,204 |
| 1962 | — | — | 58 | #1,009 |
| 1961 | — | — | 75 | #887 |
| 1960 | — | — | 53 | #1,061 |
| 1959 | — | — | 69 | #922 |
| 1958 | — | — | 67 | #931 |
| 1957 | — | — | 73 | #886 |
| 1956 | — | — | 86 | #804 |
| 1955 | — | — | 73 | #866 |
| 1954 | — | — | 62 | #942 |
| 1953 | — | — | 73 | #842 |
| 1952 | — | — | 81 | #781 |
| 1951 | — | — | 83 | #769 |
| 1950 | — | — | 90 | #722 |
| 1949 | — | — | 107 | #664 |
| 1948 | — | — | 117 | #627 |
| 1947 | — | — | 122 | #616 |
| 1946 | — | — | 88 | #691 |
| 1945 | — | — | 106 | #586 |
| 1944 | — | — | 107 | #594 |
| 1943 | — | — | 119 | #582 |
| 1942 | 5 | #4,871 | 116 | #577 |
| 1941 | — | — | 93 | #632 |
| 1940 | — | — | 90 | #627 |
| 1939 | — | — | 86 | #639 |
| 1938 | — | — | 108 | #562 |
| 1937 | — | — | 102 | #570 |
| 1936 | — | — | 86 | #628 |
| 1935 | — | — | 117 | #534 |
| 1934 | — | — | 111 | #561 |
| 1933 | — | — | 100 | #579 |
| 1932 | — | — | 99 | #593 |
| 1931 | — | — | 111 | #557 |
| 1930 | — | — | 121 | #548 |
| 1929 | — | — | 117 | #543 |
| 1928 | — | — | 110 | #590 |
| 1927 | — | — | 155 | #488 |
| 1926 | — | — | 167 | #465 |
| 1925 | 5 | #5,277 | 159 | #482 |
| 1924 | — | — | 171 | #472 |
| 1923 | 5 | #5,233 | 176 | #462 |
| 1922 | 6 | #4,650 | 189 | #443 |
| 1921 | — | — | 199 | #432 |
| 1920 | — | — | 201 | #418 |
| 1919 | — | — | 188 | #430 |
| 1918 | — | — | 212 | #406 |
| 1917 | — | — | 177 | #426 |
| 1916 | — | — | 204 | #387 |
| 1915 | — | — | 166 | #419 |
| 1914 | 5 | #3,838 | 138 | #405 |
| 1913 | — | — | 122 | #383 |
| 1912 | — | — | 96 | #391 |
| 1911 | — | — | 61 | #353 |
| 1910 | — | — | 42 | #417 |
| 1909 | — | — | 36 | #410 |
| 1908 | — | — | 41 | #357 |
| 1907 | — | — | 29 | #430 |
| 1906 | — | — | 41 | #322 |
| 1905 | — | — | 31 | #375 |
| 1904 | — | — | 42 | #303 |
| 1903 | — | — | 28 | #363 |
| 1902 | — | — | 30 | #360 |
| 1901 | — | — | 36 | #292 |
| 1900 | — | — | 29 | #420 |
| 1899 | — | — | 35 | #295 |
| 1898 | — | — | 37 | #318 |
| 1897 | — | — | 37 | #303 |
| 1896 | — | — | 43 | #280 |
| 1895 | — | — | 27 | #362 |
| 1894 | — | — | 40 | #282 |
| 1893 | — | — | 36 | #287 |
| 1892 | — | — | 41 | #284 |
| 1891 | — | — | 32 | #293 |
| 1890 | — | — | 23 | #373 |
| 1889 | — | — | 27 | #341 |
| 1888 | — | — | 26 | #363 |
| 1887 | — | — | 17 | #414 |
| 1886 | — | — | 22 | #373 |
| 1885 | — | — | 25 | #348 |
| 1884 | — | — | 20 | #404 |
| 1883 | — | — | 32 | #289 |
| 1882 | — | — | 34 | #295 |
| 1881 | — | — | 22 | #353 |
| 1880 | — | — | 16 | #448 |
About the data: counts are Social Security card applications for US births, for names given to at least five babies of a sex in a year (SSA, names.zip, public domain). Ranks follow SSA’s own order: most births first, ties alphabetical. Files retrieved 2026-10-05 (checksum on our sources page).