Contents [hide]

Foster History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Sources

Foster History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

Etymology of Foster

What does the name Foster mean?

There are three distinct possible origins for this surname: from the Middle English word "foster" meaning "foster-parent, nurse"; an extension of the name Forrester or Forster, meaning "forester"; and the name could be from Forstier, a "shearer" which would eventually evolve to Forster and Foster. 1

The name is "sometimes a contraction of Forester: but there is an origin at least equally probable, viz: fosterer, one who feeds and has the charge of children instead of their parents." 2

Early Origins of the Foster family

The surname Foster was first found in Essex where John Foster was recorded at Colchester in 1373. A few years later, Edward Foster was recorded in the Assize Rolls for Cambridgeshire in 1381. 1

So as to prove the relationship of the Foster variant with Forrester, "the seal of Walter Forestier (1371 AD v, Lo) bore the legend: SIGILLVM. WALTERI. LE. FOSTER. " 1

Early History of the Foster family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Foster research. Another 108 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1379, 1589, 1617, 1635, 1648, 1663, 1681, 1692, 1697, 1698, 1726, 1731, 1753, 1769, 1774, 1790, 1796, 1828, 1831 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Foster History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Foster Spelling Variations

Although the name, Foster, appeared in many references, from time to time, the surname was shown with the spellings Forrester, Forester, Forrest, Forster, Foster, Forrestor and many more.

Early Notables of the Foster family

Sir John Forster; Sir Robert Foster (1589-1663), an English judge and Chief Justice of the King's Bench; John Foster (1648-1681), the earliest American engraver and the first Boston printer; and Ann F...
Edward Forster (1769-1828), the English miscellaneous writer, born at Colchester, Essex, on 11 June 1769, was the only son of Nathaniel Forster, D.D. (1726?-1790.) 3 Henry Foster (1796-1831), the...

Foster World Ranking

the United States, the name Foster is the 93^rd most popular surname with an estimated 226,317 people with that name. 4 However, in Canada, the name Foster is ranked the 160^th most popular surname with an estimated 21,790 people with that name. 5 And in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Foster is the 542^nd popular surname with an estimated 85 people with that name. 6 Australia ranks Foster as 113^rd with 23,738 people. 7 New Zealand ranks Foster as 108^th with 3,923 people. 8 The United Kingdom ranks Foster as 76^th with 59,483 people. 9

Migration of the Foster family to Ireland

Some of the Foster family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 93 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Foster migration to the United States +

Gradually becoming disenchanted with life in Ireland many of these uprooted families sailed aboard the armada of sailing ships known as the "White Sails" which plied the stormy Atlantic. These overcrowded ships often arrived with only 60 to 70% of their original passenger list, many dying of cholera, typhoid, dysentery or small pox. In North America, some of the first immigrants who could be considered kinsmen of the Foster family name Foster, or who bore a variation of the surname were

Foster Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Samuel Foster, who arrived in New England in 1619 11
John Foster, who landed in Virginia in 1623 11
John Foster, who landed in Jamestown, Va in 1624 11
Thomas Foster, who arrived in New England in 1634 aboard the ship "Hercules" 11
William Foster, who arrived in New England in 1634 aboard the ship "Hercules" 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Foster Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Daniel] Foster, who landed in Virginia in 1700 11
Phillis Foster, who arrived in Virginia in 1714 11
Thomas Foster, who landed in Virginia in 1714 11
Julian Foster, who arrived in Virginia in 1717 11
Sam Foster, who landed in South Carolina in 1728 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Foster Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Martha Foster, aged 22, who arrived in New York, NY in 1803 11
Charles Foster, who arrived in America in 1805 11
Alex Foster, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1808 11
Arthur Foster, aged 22, who landed in New York in 1812 11
George S Foster, aged 27, who arrived in New York in 1812 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Foster Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Chamberlain Burke Foster, aged 25, who landed in Mississippi in 1907 11
Louis Samuel Foster, who arrived in Alabama in 1912 11
Lee Peter Foster, who landed in Alabama in 1921 11
Alfred Scott Foster, who landed in Alabama in 1921 11
Edward Augustus Foster, who landed in Alabama in 1926 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Foster migration to Canada +

Foster Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Edward Foster, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
Bennet Foster, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
Patrick Foster, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
Asa Foster, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1760
John Foster, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1760
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Foster Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Asher M Foster, who landed in Canada in 1828
Jude Foster, who landed in Canada in 1829
James Foster, who landed in Canada in 1830
Nathaniel Foster, who landed in Canada in 1831
Robert Foster, who landed in Quebec in 1831
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Foster Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

H Foster, who landed in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1907

Foster migration to Australia +

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

Second Fleet

Mr. Thomas Foster, (d. 1792), British settler convicted in Yorkshire, England in 1790, sentenced to 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the ship "William and Ann" leaving in 1790 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1791 10
Mr. Samuel Foster, British settler convicted in Warwickshire, England in 1789, sentenced to 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the ship "Admiral Barrington" leaving in 1790 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1791 11

Following the Second Fleet, other convicts and early settlers arriving in Australia include:

Foster Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Samuel Foster, English convict who was convicted in London, England for life, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" in May 1816, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
Mr. Edward Foster, English convict who was convicted in Bristol, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Fame" on 9th October 1816, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 13
Mr. George Foster, British Convict who was convicted in Kingston Upon Hull, Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Batavia" in October 1817, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 14
Mr. Richard Foster, (b. 1791), aged 28, English bricklayer who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 27th October 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1859 15
Mr. George Foster, English convict who was convicted in Berkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 13th July 1822, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 16
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Foster 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:

Foster Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

James Ramsay Foster, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Coromandel" in 1840
Mr. John Foster, Australian settler travelling from Sydney aboard the ship "Bee" arriving in New Zealand in 1840 17
John Foster, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
James Ramsay Foster, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840 aboard the ship Coromandel
James Foster, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bombay" in 1842 18
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Foster migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 19

Foster Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Alice Foster, who arrived in Barbados, as a bonded passenger in 1671

Contemporary Notables of the name Foster (post 1700) +

Robert Foster (1947-2025), American businessman and politician who served as the mayor of Long Beach, California
Aloysius Tyrone Foster (1943-2025), American jazz drummer, professional career began in the mid-1960s, played and recorded with hard bop and swing musicians including Blue Mitchell and Illinois Jacquet
John Stuart Foster Jr. (1922-2025), American physicist, best known as the fourth director of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and as Director, Defense Research and Engineering under four Secretaries of Defense and two Presidents
Hannah Webster Foster (1758-1840), American novelist, he first novel, The Coquette; or, The History of Eliza Wharton, was published anonymously in 1797 and in 1866 with her name on the title page
Sophia Foster -Dimino, American comics artist and illustrator who has won three Ignatz Awards
Carson Foster (b. 2001), American competitive swimmer, three-time gold medalist winner at the 2019 World Junior Championships, two-time silver medalist at the 2017 World Junior Championships, silver and bronze at the 2024 Summer Olympics
Richard Link "Skip" Foster (1960-2024), American head football coach at Coffeyville Community College from 1989 to 2000, compiling a record of 82-39-2
Benjamin A. Foster (b. 1980), American actor, known for his work in The Punisher (2004), X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), and television series Six Feet Under (2003-2005)
Mark Derek Foster (b. 1984), American musician, singer, and songwriter, best known as the lead singer of the band Foster the People
... (Another 42 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Foster family +

Bradford City stadium fire

Nellie Foster (1921-1985), from Bradford who attended the Bradford City and Lincoln City Third Division match on 11th May 1985 when the Bradford City stadium fire occurred and she died in the fire she did manage to save her Grandson who was with her
Mr. Ernest Foster, British Trimmer from United Kingdom who worked aboard the Empress of Ireland (1914) and survived the sinking 20
Mr. Charles Roderick Foster (1935-1996), aged 61, from Sherman, Connecticut, USA, American pilot for Dassault Falcon Jet Co. flying aboard Flight TWA 800 from J.F.K. Airport, New York to Leonardo da Vinci Airport, Rome when the plane crashed after takeoff ; he died in the crash 21
Mr. T. Foster, Canadian resident of Frank, Alberta who was buried in the Frank Rock Slide on 29th April 1903 22
Mr. William Foster (1880-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 23
... (Another 34 entries are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sources +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 1st March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 27th September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/batavia
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 7th November 2010). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
The Washington Post Passenger List TWA Flight 800. (Retrieved 2018, February 15th). Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/twa800/list01.htm
Calgary Herald news article retrieved 11th August 2021. Retrieved from https://smartcdn.prod.postmedia.digital/calgaryherald/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Calgary_Herald_Thu__Apr_30__1903_-copy-scaled.jpg
Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance