Forster (surname)

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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• Hannah Forster (born 1991), English footballer
• Henry Forster, 1st Baron Forster (1866–1936), Governor-General of Australia

J

• 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

• Kaye Forster (born 1980), English weather presenter
• Kevin Forster (born 1958), English long-distance runner

L

• Lyn Forster (1925–2009), New Zealand arachnologist

M

• 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

• Nick Forster, founder of eTown (radio program) radio program
• Nicky Forster (born 1973), English footballer
• Norvela Forster (1931–1993), English businesswoman

P

• 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

• 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

• Susanna Dorothy (Forster) Dixon (1757–1822), author and translator

T

• 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

• Viktória Forster (born 2002), Slovak track and field athlete

W

• 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

• Förster
• Forester (disambiguation)
• Forrester (surname)
• Foster (disambiguation)
• Fosters (disambiguation)
• Vorster