How Many People Are Named James Foster?

There are approximately 2,426 people named James Foster living in the United States today. That makes this name combination common, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 141,284 Americans.

This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name James with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Foster. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and ancestry information.

Estimated People with This Name

2,426

1 in 141,284 Americans

Combination Rarity

Common

Very Rare Very Common

James: Popularity Over Time

Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name James. The peak year was 1947 with 95,020 births. The average person named James today is 57 years old.

Male
Female
0 19K 38K 57K 76K 95K 1880 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 2020

Ancestry of the Foster Surname

Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Foster, from the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau.

White
69.65%
Black
23.94%
Hispanic
2.65%
Asian/Pacific Islander
0.55%
American Indian/Alaska Native
0.88%
Two or More Races
2.33%

How we calculated this

The first name "James" has an estimated frequency of 0.917% among living Americans, based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024 adjusted for mortality using CDC 2023 life tables.

The surname "Foster" appears at a rate of 77.21 per 100,000 people in the 2010 U.S. Census.

Multiplying these frequencies against the U.S. population of ~343 million gives 2,426 estimated people. This assumes first names and last names are statistically independent. Full methodology.

James Foster: Questions and Answers

How many people are named James Foster?

We estimate approximately 2,426 people named James Foster are alive in the United States today. The first name James is shared by 3,142,267 Americans, and the surname Foster is shared by 259,343.

How rare is the name James Foster?

This name combination is classified as Common, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 141,284 Americans. The first name James is very common and the surname Foster is common.

Is James a male or female name?

James is predominantly male, with 99.5% of bearers being male and 0.5% female. It peaked in popularity in 1947 and the average bearer today is 57 years old.

Where does this data come from?

First name data comes from the Social Security Administration (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables. Surname data comes from the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau. Full methodology.

How Many of Me
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There are 2,426 people with the name

James Foster

in the United States

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