# 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:

## 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

* 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), 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