Show ContentsForster History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Forster Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Forster

What does the name Forster mean?

The ancestors of the surname Forster were thought to have been a Boernician family in ancient Scotland. They lived in areas near or inside a forest. Some research suggests that the surname is also a shortened form of Forester. The Middle English word forest referred specifically to an area of woodland reserved by law as hunting grounds for the king or his nobles. As such, the surname, Forster would have appeared independently in various parts of Britain.

Early Origins of the Forster family

The surname Forster was first found in Newlands, a parish, in the historic county of Peeblesshire. 1 The first on record was William de Forest who was a tenant of the Douglases in the barony of Newlands in 1376. In the same year, Hugh de Forest was a Douglas tenant in Drumcorke. A few years later, Morgan de Forest in Aberdeen was "cherged" with being a forestaller in 1402 and Master Thomas de Foresta, licentiate in decrees, was rector of the parish of Soudon (Southdean) in 1404. 2

Early History of the Forster family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Forster research. Another 187 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1379, 1390, 1411, 1430, 1453, 1463, 1472, 1518, 1520, 1526, 1527, 1533, 1540, 1588, 1602, 1608, 1633, 1635, 1642, 1654, 1664, 1668, 1698, 1701, 1703, 1706, 1709, 1711, 1714, 1715, 1720 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Forster History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Forster Spelling Variations

Before the first dictionaries and printing presses went into use in the last few hundred years, spelling, particularly of names, was a largely intuitive matter. Consequently, many spelling variations occur in even the simplest names from the Middle Ages. Forster has been spelled Forrester, Forester, Forrest, Forster, Foster, Forrestor and many more.

Early Notables of the Forster family

More information is included under the topic Early Forster Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Forster World Ranking

the United States, the name Forster is the 4,558th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 3 However, in Australia, the name Forster is ranked the 532nd most popular surname with an estimated 7,278 people with that name. 4 And in New Zealand, the name Forster is the 811st popular surname with an estimated 900 people with that name. 5 The United Kingdom ranks Forster as 526th with 12,527 people. 6

Migration of the Forster family to Ireland

Some of the Forster family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 129 words (9 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Forster migration to the United States +

The east coasts of the United States and Canada are still populated by many of the descendents of the Boernician-Scottish families who made that great crossing. They distributed themselves evenly when they first arrived, but at the time of the War of Independence those who remained loyal to England went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. This century, many of their ancestors have recovered their past heritage through highland games and other Scottish functions in North America. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Investigation of the origins of family names on the North American continent has revealed that many immigrants bearing the name Forster or a variant listed above:

Forster Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Josias Forster, aged 43, who arrived in Bermuda, (Somers Islands) in 1635 aboard the ship "Truelove" 8
  • Jane Forster, who arrived in Maryland in 1653 8
  • Ann Forster, who arrived in Maryland in 1653 8
  • Richard Forster, who landed in Maryland in 1653 8
  • Richard, Forster Jr., who arrived in Maryland in 1653 8
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Forster Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Peter Forster, who landed in New York in 1709 8
  • Johan Mike Forster, who landed in New York in 1709 8
  • Georg Forster, who arrived in New York in 1709 with his wife Maria and 3 children 8
  • Johan Georg Forster, who arrived in New York, NY in 1710 8
  • Hans Michael Forster, who settled in Philadelphia in 1727
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Forster Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Elnr Forster, who landed in America in 1806 8
  • Thomas Forster, who landed in America in 1806 8
  • Francis Forster, who landed in Maryland in 1807 8
  • Frederick Forster, who arrived in Mississippi in 1839 8
  • Andra Forster, who landed in New York, NY in 1843 8
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Forster Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Bertha Forster, who arrived in Colorado in 1903 8

Forster migration to Canada +

Forster Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mrs. Forster, who landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1778
Forster Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Miss. Wilhelmine Forster, aged 2 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Canton" departing 20th June 1847 from Bremen, Germany; the ship arrived on 7th August 1847 but she died on board 9

Forster migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia included the Second Fleet of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Second Fleet
  • Mr. Ruben Forster, (Forsteer, Robert), British settler convicted in Northumberland, England in 1790, sentenced to 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the ship "Matilda" leaving in 1790 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1791 7
  • Mr. Richard Forster, (Foster), (d. 1793), British settler convicted in Cumberland, England in 1790, sentenced to 14 years for theft, transported aboard the ship "Britannia" leaving in 1790 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1791 8
Following the Second Fleet, other convicts and early settlers arriving in Australia include:

Forster Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Forster migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Forster Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • James Rumsey Forster, aged 22, a bookseller, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Gertrude" in 1841 15
  • John Forster, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Whitby" in 1841
  • Lucy Forster, aged 21, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Lloyds" in 1842
  • Richard Forster, aged 18, who arrived in Lyttelton, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ambrosine" in 1860 16
  • Holman Forster, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Queen of Beauty" in 1863
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Forster (post 1700) +

  • Nora Maier Forster (1942-2023), née Maier, a German-British publishing heiress, actress and model who was primarily known as a music promoter who worked in West Germany with Jimi Hendrix, Wishbone Ash and Yes, wife of John Lydon of the Sex Pistols
  • Johann Georg Adam Forster (1754-1794), Polish-born naturalist, ethnologist, travel writer, journalist, and revolutionary; he accompanied his father on several scientific expeditions, including James Cook's second voyage to the Pacific
  • Robert Forster (1941-2019), American actor nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1997 for Jackie Brown
  • William Forster (1784-1854), English-born, American preacher, Quaker elder and a fervent abolitionist, an early member of the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society in 1839
  • Brigadier-General George Jacob Forster (1891-1979), American Assistant Commanding General 66th Division (1944-1945) 17
  • John Forster (b. 1948), American folk musician
  • George J. Forster (1905-1988), American politician, Mayor of Madison, Wisconsin, 1950-55 18
  • George H. Forster, American Democratic Party politician, Member of New York State Senate 11th District, 1880-81; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1888 19
  • George Forster, American Democratic Party politician, Mayor of Rockville, Connecticut, 1904-11, 1929; Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Vernon; Elected 1908 19
  • ... (Another 29 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Bismarck
  • Georg Forster (1921-1941), German Matrosengefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 19
  • Mr. Frederick G Forster (b. 1919), English Engine Room Artificer 4th Class serving for the Royal Navy from Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 20
  • Mr. Thomas Forster, British Engine Room Artificer, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 21
  • Mr. Stanley Arnold Forster (1925-1943), English Able Seaman from England, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales and survived the sinking, died whilst a Prisoner of War in 1943 22

The Forster Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Hunter blow thy horn
  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  4. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  5. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  6. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  7. Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships
  8. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  9. Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 76)
  10. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
  11. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/competitor
  12. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Albion voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1826 with 192 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/albion/1826
  13. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 10th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bussorah-merchant
  14. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 2nd December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/camden
  15. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 12th December 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  16. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  17. Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, February 29) George Forster. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Forster/George_Jacob/USA.html
  18. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  19. Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details
  20. H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
  21. HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html

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