NameCensus.

UK surname

Foster

An English occupational surname referring to a saddle tree maker or a nickname for a foster parent.

In the 1881 census there were 40,056 people recorded with the Foster surname, ranking it #76 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 56,729, ranked #82, down from #76 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Gateshead and Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include County Durham, Kingston upon Hull and Sheffield.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Foster is 59,058 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 41.6%.

1881 census count

40,056

Ranked #76

Modern count

56,729

2016, ranked #82

Peak year

1999

59,058 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Foster had 40,056 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #76 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 56,729 in 2016, ranked #82.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 53,795 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Foster surname distribution map

The map shows where the Foster surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Foster surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Foster over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 23,761 #86
1861 historical 23,346 #89
1881 historical 40,056 #76
1891 historical 42,327 #75
1901 historical 51,151 #73
1911 historical 53,795 #68
1997 modern 56,182 #75
1998 modern 58,640 #75
1999 modern 59,058 #75
2000 modern 58,609 #75
2001 modern 57,188 #75
2002 modern 58,401 #75
2003 modern 56,624 #75
2004 modern 56,446 #76
2005 modern 55,559 #77
2006 modern 55,451 #78
2007 modern 55,801 #80
2008 modern 56,054 #81
2009 modern 57,524 #82
2010 modern 58,730 #82
2011 modern 57,797 #82
2012 modern 56,580 #82
2013 modern 57,658 #82
2014 modern 57,866 #82
2015 modern 57,207 #82
2016 modern 56,729 #82

Geography

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Where Fosters are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Gateshead, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard and Bradford. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to County Durham, Kingston upon Hull, Sheffield and Leeds. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 Gateshead Durham
4 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
5 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 County Durham 059 County Durham
2 Kingston upon Hull 001 Kingston upon Hull, City of
3 Sheffield 004 Sheffield
4 Leeds 110 Leeds
5 Kingston upon Hull 008 Kingston upon Hull, City of

Forenames

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First names often paired with Foster

These lists show first names that appear often with the Foster surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Foster

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Foster, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Foster surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Foster household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Foster is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Foster is most concentrated in decile 7 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Foster falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Foster is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Foster, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Foster

The surname Foster originated in England and dates back to the 12th century. It is an occupational name derived from the Old English word "foster," meaning "to nourish, supply with food, or raise up a child." The name was initially given to a foster parent or someone who cared for children whose parents were deceased or unable to care for them.

During the medieval period, the Foster surname was found in various parts of England, including Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Northumberland. One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name is in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1166, which list a Robert le Foster.

The Foster name also appears in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of land ownership and taxation commissioned by William the Conqueror. The book mentions several individuals with the surname, such as Robert Foster and William Foster, indicating the name's early presence in England.

In the 13th century, the surname Foster was associated with several notable individuals. One of them was Sir Reginald le Foster, who served as the Sheriff of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire in 1281. Another was John Foster, a prominent merchant and landowner in Yorkshire, who lived during the same period.

The Foster surname has also been linked to various place names in England, such as Foston in Derbyshire and Foston in Leicestershire. These place names likely derived from the Old English words "fos" meaning "fosse" or ditch, and "tun" meaning a farm or settlement.

Throughout history, several famous individuals have borne the Foster surname. One notable example is Stephen Foster (1826-1864), an American songwriter known as the "Father of American Music." He composed numerous popular songs, including "Oh! Susanna," "Camptown Races," and "Beautiful Dreamer."

Another well-known bearer of the Foster surname was Sir Norman Foster (born 1935), a renowned British architect who designed iconic structures like the Millau Viaduct in France and the Gherkin in London.

Other noteworthy individuals with the Foster surname include Jodie Foster (born 1962), an American actress and director; Phoebe Foster (1854-1935), an American philanthropist and social reformer; and Sir Vere Foster (1819-1900), a British civil engineer and designer of the first modern flush toilet.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Foster families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Foster surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Yorkshire leads with 7,821 Fosters recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.02x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 7,821 2.02x
Lancashire 5,041 1.09x
Middlesex 3,200 0.82x
Staffordshire 2,158 1.64x
Durham 2,100 1.81x
Surrey 1,762 0.93x
Kent 1,459 1.09x
Lincolnshire 1,378 2.21x
Nottinghamshire 1,368 2.60x
Sussex 1,012 1.54x
Warwickshire 977 0.99x
Hampshire 865 1.08x
Northumberland 839 1.44x
Cheshire 756 0.88x
Essex 717 0.93x
Derbyshire 714 1.17x
Northamptonshire 632 1.72x
Cumberland 553 1.64x
Devon 547 0.67x
Leicestershire 514 1.19x
Worcestershire 491 0.96x
Hertfordshire 476 1.77x
Lanarkshire 361 0.29x
Somerset 334 0.53x
Suffolk 330 0.69x
Fife 245 1.06x
Gloucestershire 245 0.32x
Bedfordshire 240 1.19x
Oxfordshire 217 0.90x
Dorset 212 0.83x
Cambridgeshire 209 0.84x
Berkshire 199 0.68x
Buckinghamshire 183 0.78x
Midlothian 178 0.34x
Norfolk 177 0.29x
Glamorgan 145 0.21x
Shropshire 102 0.30x
Renfrewshire 101 0.33x
Cornwall 88 0.20x
Wiltshire 79 0.23x
Westmorland 77 0.90x
Huntingdonshire 75 0.97x
Ayrshire 71 0.24x
Herefordshire 71 0.44x
Dumfriesshire 65 0.75x
Monmouthshire 63 0.22x
Berwickshire 49 1.04x
West Lothian 48 0.82x
Selkirkshire 47 1.33x
Rutland 38 1.33x
Stirlingshire 34 0.24x
Channel Islands 33 0.29x
Perthshire 29 0.17x
Caernarfonshire 25 0.16x
Flintshire 25 0.24x
Royal Navy 25 0.54x
Clackmannanshire 24 0.74x
Roxburghshire 24 0.34x
Pembrokeshire 18 0.15x
Angus 17 0.05x
Inverness-shire 15 0.13x
East Lothian 14 0.27x
Radnorshire 14 0.44x
Brecknockshire 13 0.17x
Kirkcudbrightshire 13 0.23x
Isle of Man 12 0.17x
Denbighshire 11 0.07x
Dunbartonshire 10 0.10x
Aberdeenshire 8 0.02x
Carmarthenshire 8 0.05x
Wigtownshire 8 0.15x
Kincardineshire 7 0.15x
Peeblesshire 7 0.38x
Anglesey 6 0.09x
Kinross-shire 3 0.30x
Merionethshire 3 0.04x
Morayshire 2 0.03x
Argyllshire 1 0.01x
Cardiganshire 1 0.01x
Montgomeryshire 1 0.01x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Leeds in Yorkshire leads with 445 Fosters recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.04x.

Place Total Index
Leeds 445 2.04x
Islington London 381 1.01x
Birmingham 347 1.06x
Nottingham St Mary 346 2.54x
Darlaston 328 18.00x
Aston 304 1.12x
Stoke Upon Trent 257 1.84x
St Pancras London 256 0.81x
Holy Trinity 241 2.59x
Camberwell 229 0.92x
Lambeth 227 0.67x
Manchester 208 1.00x
Toxteth Park 207 1.32x
St Marylebone London 206 0.99x
Sheffield 205 1.66x
Halifax 203 3.57x
Wigan 202 3.12x
Portsea 201 1.28x
Bishopwearmouth 190 1.90x
West Ham 189 1.11x
Wolverhampton 188 1.85x
Liverpool 185 0.66x
Kensington London 181 0.83x
Brightside Bierlow 180 2.37x
Ecclesall Bierlow 180 2.29x
Hackney London 178 0.81x
West Derby 177 1.31x
Leicester St Margaret 176 1.67x
Thornton In Bradford 174 13.50x
Hulme 163 1.68x
Preston 159 1.28x
Battersea 157 1.09x
Bradford 149 1.59x
Hunslet 147 2.44x
Brighton 146 1.10x
Horton In Bradford 144 2.38x
Salford 144 1.06x
Newington 141 0.98x
Chelsea London 140 1.19x
Everton 140 0.95x
Wemyss 134 13.70x
Clerkenwell London 126 1.37x
Croydon 122 1.15x
Ecclesfield 122 4.30x
Mile End Old Town London 122 1.47x
Paddington London 121 0.84x
Shoreditch London 118 0.70x
Great Bolton 116 1.89x
Sculcoates 115 1.87x
Bingley 112 4.54x
Tipton 106 2.63x
Blackburn 103 0.84x
Barony 102 0.32x
Bethnal Green London 102 0.60x
Nether Hallam 101 1.93x
Kings Norton 100 2.19x
Scarborough 100 2.84x
St George Hanover Square 100 1.45x
Middlesbrough 99 1.96x
Manningham 98 2.06x
Oldham 98 0.66x
Chorlton On Medlock 97 1.32x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 95 1.89x
Bermondsey 93 0.80x
Windle 93 3.57x
Gateshead 89 1.02x
Tottenham 89 1.43x
Hammersmith London 88 0.91x
Deptford St Paul 86 0.84x
Govan 86 0.28x
Stockton On Tees 85 1.52x
Wednesfield 85 4.38x
Selby 84 10.38x
West Bromwich 84 1.11x
Little Bolton 83 1.39x
Plymouth St Andrew 83 1.33x
Barnsley 82 2.05x
Darlington 82 1.83x
Glasgow 80 0.36x
Willenhall 79 3.20x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Foster surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 2,736
Elizabeth 1,534
Sarah 1,405
Jane 901
Ann 878
Ellen 579
Annie 573
Emma 572
Alice 565
Eliza 543
Hannah 499
Margaret 470
Emily 455
Martha 322
Harriet 245
Louisa 234
Ada 232
Maria 218
Edith 217
Fanny 206
Charlotte 204
Florence 184
Clara 178
Kate 163
Caroline 162
Catherine 160
Anne 153
Lucy 149
Agnes 139
Frances 137
Isabella 136
Harriett 121
Esther 104
Rose 87
Susan 86
Rebecca 85
Susannah 83
Amy 80
Matilda 80
Sophia 79
Amelia 78
Elizth. 76
Eleanor 72
Minnie 70
Jessie 63
Julia 62
Ruth 61
Lydia 59
Grace 58
Laura 56

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Foster surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 2,479
John 2,424
Thomas 1,448
George 1,323
James 1,157
Charles 788
Joseph 788
Henry 737
Robert 552
Edward 403
Arthur 340
Samuel 340
Alfred 329
Richard 326
Frederick 302
Walter 224
Albert 216
Harry 207
Frank 158
David 137
Herbert 134
Francis 128
Wm. 126
Edwin 120
Fred 116
Ernest 110
Thos. 87
Benjamin 79
Peter 74
Tom 74
Daniel 73
Stephen 67
Isaac 65
Geo. 55
Christopher 49
Fredrick 47
Ralph 45
Matthew 41
Jonathan 39
Edmund 38
Fredk. 38
Chas. 37
Abraham 34
Jesse 33
Percy 33
Leonard 31
Josiah 30
Sam 29
Michael 27
Joe 26

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Foster households.

FAQ

Foster surname: questions and answers

How common was the Foster surname in 1881?

In 1881, 40,056 people were recorded with the Foster surname. That placed it at #76 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Foster surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 56,729 in 2016. That gives Foster a modern rank of #82.

What does the Foster surname mean?

An English occupational surname referring to a saddle tree maker or a nickname for a foster parent.

What does the Foster map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Foster bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.