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Foster Family History

Foster Surname Meaning

English: variant of Forster ‘worker in a forest’. English: perhaps a nickname from Middle English foster ‘foster parent’ (Old English fōstre a derivative of fōstrian ‘to nourish or rear’). But other explanations are equally or more likely. English: from Old French forcetier ‘maker of scissors’; see Forster English: variant of Fewster from Anglo-Norman French Middle English fu(y)ster ‘maker of saddletrees’ (compare Foister ). Probably an Americanized form of one or more similar (like-sounding) Jewish surnames such as Forster .

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Forster, Oster, Easter, Hoster, Fester, Fosse, Bolter, Koster, Osmer

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Foster family from?

You can see how Foster families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Foster family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Foster families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 649 Foster families living in New York. This was about 17% of all the recorded Foster's in USA. New York had the highest population of Foster families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Foster surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Foster ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Maid were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Foster. 16% of Foster men worked as a Laborer and 8% of Foster women worked as a Maid. Some less common occupations for Americans named Foster were Truck Driver and Teacher. .

View Census Data for Foster | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Laborer
    16%
  • Farmer
    15%
  • Salesman
    4%
  • Truck Driver
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Maid
    8%
  • Housewife
    6%
  • Housekeeper
    6%
  • Teacher
    5%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Foster family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 1 million census records available for the last name Foster. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Foster census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Foster

Passenger Lists

There are 168,000 immigration records available for the last name Foster. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Foster immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 274,000 military records available for the last name Foster. For the veterans among your Foster ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Foster lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Foster life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1942, and highest in 2003. The average life expectancy for Foster in 1940 was 39, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Foster

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