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Forster Family History

Forster Surname Meaning

English: shortened form of Forrester an occupational name for someone who worked in a forest.

English: possibly a Norman French nickname or occupational name from Old French forcetier ‘maker of scissors or shears cutler’. Compare Force and Forse.

German (mainly Förster): agent derivative of Middle High German forst ‘forest’ denoting someone who lived in or near a royal forest or who worked in one (see Forst).

This surname is also found in France (Alsace and Lorraine). Compare Foerster.

Jewish (Ashkenazic): artificial name from German Forst ‘forest’.

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


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Where is the Forster family from?

You can see how Forster families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Forster family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Forster families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1911 there were 232 Forster families living in Ontario. This was about 44% of all the recorded Forster's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Forster families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Forster surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Forster ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Teacher were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Forster. 30% of Forster men worked as a Farmer and 20% of Forster women worked as a Teacher. Some less common occupations for Americans named Forster were Student and Domestic.

View Census Data for Forster | 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 1921

  • Farmer
    30%
  • Labourer
    12%
  • Manager
    6%
  • Student
    6%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Teacher
    20%
  • Student
    18%
  • Clerk
    10%
  • Domestic
    8%

What Forster family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 210,000 census records available for the last name Forster. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Forster census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Forster

Passenger Lists

There are 110,000 immigration records available for the last name Forster. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Forster immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 47,000 military records available for the last name Forster. For the veterans among your Forster ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Forster military records

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