Forster is a north English surname meaning "forester". It can also be an anglicization of Förster or Foerster, a German surname meaning the same. Some indigenous south Germans independently carry the name Forster, while East Prussian Forsters are descendants of an 18th-century English Forster family. Notable people with this surname include:
- Forster baronets, several persons
A
[edit]- Adam Forster (1850–1928), artist
- Albert Forster, several people:
- Albert Forster (1902–1952), German Nazi governor executed for war crimes
- Albert Forster (shot putter) (born 1906), American shot putter, 1928 All-American for the Stanford Cardinal track and field team
- Anthony Forster (disambiguation), several people:
- Anthony Forster (academic), vice-chancellor of the University of Essex
- Anthony Forster (Australian politician) (1813–1897) South Australian MLC and newspaperman
- Anthony Forster (MP), Member of Parliament for Abingdon (UK Parliament constituency) 1566–1572
- Anthony Forster, mayor of Markham, 1889–1892
B
[edit]- Beat Forster (born 1983), Swiss ice hockey player
- Benjamin Forster (antiquary) (1736–1805), English antiquary
- Benjamin Meggot Forster (1768–1829), an English botanist and mycologist
- Bill Forster (footballer), played for Crystal Palace
- Brian Forster (born 1960), a TV actor in The Partridge Family
- B. Y. Forster, the pseudonym of American songwriter George David Weiss
C
[edit]- Carl-Peter Forster (born 1954), the President of GM Europe
- Catherine Forster, American paleontologist and taxonomist
- Sir Charles Forster, 1st Baronet (1815–1891), English Liberal politician
- Charles Farrar Forster (1848–1894), English priest
- Charles French Blake-Forster (1851–1874), Irish writer
- Charles Smith Forster (1786–1850), English banker and Conservative politician
- Clara Forster (1789–1839), German papercutting artist, daughter of Georg Forster
E
[edit]- Edward Forster the Elder (1730–1812), English banker and antiquary
- Edward Forster the Younger (1765–1849), English banker and botanist, son of Edward Forster the Elder
- E. M. Forster (1879–1970), English novelist
F
[edit]- Francis M. Forster (1912–2006), physician and neurologist
- François Forster (1790–1872), French engraver
- Frank Foster (jazz musician) (1928–2011) American tenor and soprano saxophonist, flautist, arranger, and composer.
- Frank J. Forster (1885–1948) American architect from New York City
- Fraser Forster (born 1988), English football
- Friedrich Forster (1895–1958), German dramatist
G
[edit]- Georg Forster (composer) (1510–1568), German Renaissance editor, composer and physician
- Georg Forster (1754–1794), Polish-German botanical collector and artist; son of Johann Reinhold Forster
- George Forster (disambiguation), several persons
- Gisela Forster (born 1946), German teacher, writer and theologian
H
[edit]- Hannah Forster (born 1991), English footballer
- Henry Forster, 1st Baron Forster (1866–1936), Governor-General of Australia
J
[edit]- Jack Forster (born 1987), English rugby union player
- Jackie Forster (1926–1998), TV reporter and member of the Minorities Research Group
- Jean Forster (born 1943), Australian basketball player
- Jill Forster (born 1936), Australian actress
- Johann Reinhold Forster, (1729–1798), Polish-born naturalist of German and Scottish descent
- John Forster (disambiguation), several persons
- Sir John Forster (soldier) (1520–1602), English military commander and Warden of the Middle Marches
- John Forster (biographer) (1812–1876), English biographer and critic
- John Forster (MP) (1817–1878), British politician, MP for Oxford
- John Forster (Chief Justice) (1667–1720), Irish lawyer and politician
- John Forster (colonial administrator) (died 1748), British administrator and President of Bengal
- John Forster, 1st Baron Forster of Harraby (1888–1972), British barrister
- John Forster (died 1558), English politician
- John Forster (footballer) (born 1948), Australian footballer
- John Forster (musician) (born 1948), American cabaret musician
- John Forster (British Army officer) (1856–1938), British Army officer
- John Cooper Forster (1823–1886), British surgeon
- John (Don Juan) Forster (1814–1882), California landowner
- John Wycliffe Lowes Forster (1850–1938), Canadian artist
- Jordon Forster (born 1993), Scottish footballer
- Josiah Forster (1782–1870), teacher and philanthropist
K
[edit]- Kaye Forster (born 1980), English weather presenter
- Kevin Forster (born 1958), English long-distance runner
L
[edit]- Lyn Forster (1925–2009), New Zealand arachnologist
M
[edit]- Marc Forster (born 1969), Swiss film director and screenwriter
- Marc R. Forster, American historian
- Margaret Forster (1938–2016), British author and literary critic
- Mark Forster (author) (1943–2025), British author
- Mark Forster (rugby league), former professional rugby league footballer
- Mark Arnold-Forster (1920–1981), journalist, author and military historian
- Markus Forster, Austrian countertenor
- Martin Onslow Forster (1872–1945), British chemist
N
[edit]- Nick Forster, founder of eTown (radio program) radio program
- Nicky Forster (born 1973), English footballer
- Norvela Forster (1931–1993), English businesswoman
P
[edit]- Peter Forster (actor) (1920–1982), British film and television actor
- Peter Forster (bishop) (born 1950), British Anglican bishop
- Peter Forster (geneticist) (born 1967), British geneticist
R
[edit]- Ray Forster (1922–2000), New Zealand arachnologist
- Richard Forster (physician) (c.1546–1616), English physician
- Richard Forster (photographer) (born 1940), Swiss photographer
- Robert Forster (1941–2019), American actor
- Robert Forster (musician) (born 1957), Australian musician, member of The Go-Betweens
- Roger T. Forster (born 1933), theologian and leader of Ichthus Christian Fellowship
S
[edit]- Susanna Dorothy (Forster) Dixon (1757–1822), author and translator
T
[edit]- Therese Forster (disambiguation), two people:
- Therese Forster (1764–1829), German author and journal editor, wife of Georg Forster
- Therese Forster (1786–1862), German educator, daughter of Georg and Therese Forster
- Thomas Forster (1683–1738), Northumbrian Jacobite
- Thomas Furly Forster (1761–1825), English botanist
- Thomas Emerson Forster (1802–1875), English mining engineer
- Thomas Ignatius Maria Forster (1789–1860), astronomer and naturalist
- Tim Forster (1934–1999), British racehorse trainer and amateur jockey
T
[edit]- Viktória Forster (born 2002), Slovak track and field athlete
W
[edit]- Walter Forster (disambiguation), several names
- Walter Forster (actor) (1917–1996), Brazilian actor
- Walter Forster (entomologist) (W. Forster, 1910–1986), German entomologist
- Walter Forster (screenwriter) (1900–1968), Austrian screenwriter
- William Forster (disambiguation), other men of that name
- William Thomas Forster (or Thomas William Forster), politician in British Columbia
- William Forster (Australian politician) (1818–1882), Premier of New South Wales and poet
- William Forster (bishop) (died 1635), Church of England bishop of Sodor and Man
- William Forster (British Army officer) (1798–1870) British Army Officer
- William Forster (cricketer) (1884–1930), Australian cricketer
- William Forster (English politician), MP for Berkshire in 1572–1576
- William Forster (judge) (1921–1997), first Chief Justice of the Northern Territory
- William Forster (mathematician) (fl. 1632–1673), English mathematician
- William Forster (philanthropist) (1784–1854), Quaker preacher and philanthropist
- William Forster (Australian politician) (1818–1882), Premier of New South Wales and poet
- William Edward Forster (1818–1886), British statesman, Liberal MP, and Chief Secretary for Ireland
- William Mark Forster (1846–1921), Australian philanthropist
See also
[edit]- Förster
- Forester (disambiguation)
- Forrester (surname)
- Foster (disambiguation)
- Fosters (disambiguation)
- Vorster
This page lists people with the surname Forster.
If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to the link.
If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to the link.