NameCensus.

UK surname

Bain

A Scottish and Irish surname derived from a nickname meaning "bone," likely referring to a person of strong build.

In the 1881 census there were 7,490 people recorded with the Bain surname, ranking it #567 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 8,782, ranked #745, down from #567 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wick, Govan Combination and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Caithness North West, Wick South and Wick North.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bain is 8,868 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 17.2%.

1881 census count

7,490

Ranked #567

Modern count

8,782

2016, ranked #745

Peak year

2010

8,868 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Bain had 7,490 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #567 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 8,782 in 2016, ranked #745.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 8,570 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Bain surname distribution map

The map shows where the Bain surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Bain surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Bain over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 5,893 #473
1861 historical 5,736 #476
1881 historical 7,490 #567
1891 historical 7,948 #556
1901 historical 8,570 #621
1911 historical 1,828 #2,697
1997 modern 8,335 #764
1998 modern 8,532 #774
1999 modern 8,674 #770
2000 modern 8,625 #770
2001 modern 8,386 #774
2002 modern 8,608 #766
2003 modern 8,312 #782
2004 modern 8,381 #772
2005 modern 8,390 #755
2006 modern 8,386 #760
2007 modern 8,469 #759
2008 modern 8,568 #753
2009 modern 8,687 #762
2010 modern 8,868 #766
2011 modern 8,687 #766
2012 modern 8,533 #768
2013 modern 8,628 #770
2014 modern 8,745 #769
2015 modern 8,710 #760
2016 modern 8,782 #745

Geography

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Where Bains are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wick, Govan Combination, Edinburgh, Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry and Latheron. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Caithness North West, Wick South, Wick North, Thurso West and Caithness South. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Wick Caithness
2 Govan Combination Lanark
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar
5 Latheron Caithness

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Caithness North West Highland
2 Wick South Highland
3 Wick North Highland
4 Thurso West Highland
5 Caithness South Highland

Forenames

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First names often paired with Bain

These lists show first names that appear often with the Bain surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Bain

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Bain, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Bain surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Bain household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Bain is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Bain is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Bain falls in decile 5 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Bain is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Bain, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Bain

The surname Bain originates from the medieval French word "bain," meaning "bath" or "bathe." It is believed to have originated in the region of Normandy, France, during the 11th or 12th century. The name may have been occupational, referring to someone who worked in a bathhouse or operated a public bath.

Alternatively, the name could have derived from a place name associated with a bath or bathing area. For instance, some early bearers of the name may have hailed from towns or villages with names like "Bain" or "Bains."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Bain surname can be found in the Domesday Book, a manuscript record of landholders in England, compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. The entry mentions a landowner named Robertus de Bain, suggesting that the name had already been established in Normandy before the Norman conquest of England in 1066.

Notable individuals with the surname Bain include Alexander Bain (1810-1877), a Scottish philosopher and educational theorist who made significant contributions to the field of psychology and the study of logic. Another prominent bearer of the name was Ebenezer Bain (1804-1882), a Scottish engineer and inventor who patented several important mining and agricultural inventions.

In the literary world, James Bain (1817-1898) was a Scottish author and journalist who wrote extensively about the history and culture of his native land. Likewise, Andrew Geddes Bain (1797-1864) was a Scottish-born explorer, geologist, and road builder in South Africa, known for his pioneering work in mapping and constructing roads through the rugged terrain of the Cape Colony.

The Bain surname has also been associated with notable figures in the realm of politics and public service. For example, Sir James Bain (1842-1925) was a Scottish-born Australian politician who served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly and as Minister for Public Works.

While the Bain surname has its roots in medieval France, it has since spread and become established in various countries around the world, including the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and North America.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Bain families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bain surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lanarkshire leads with 1,074 Bains recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.58x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 1,074 4.58x
Caithness 937 94.41x
Midlothian 813 8.37x
Aberdeenshire 627 9.34x
Ross-shire 365 18.34x
Fife 262 6.11x
Middlesex 217 0.30x
Lancashire 212 0.25x
Renfrewshire 207 3.68x
Angus 200 2.98x
Stirlingshire 196 7.33x
Inverness-shire 182 8.41x
Dunbartonshire 173 8.88x
Morayshire 170 15.09x
Perthshire 166 5.10x
Ayrshire 159 2.93x
Durham 140 0.65x
Surrey 114 0.32x
Northumberland 94 0.87x
Banffshire 92 6.12x
Shetland 81 10.94x
Yorkshire 71 0.10x
East Lothian 62 6.46x
Argyllshire 60 2.97x
Nairnshire 58 26.21x
Clackmannanshire 54 9.02x
Berwickshire 50 5.70x
Kincardineshire 47 5.32x
West Lothian 43 3.94x
Orkney 42 5.27x
Sutherland 38 6.82x
Cumberland 32 0.51x
Selkirkshire 32 4.88x
Cheshire 30 0.19x
Peeblesshire 29 8.51x
Kent 28 0.11x
Roxburghshire 28 2.13x
Hampshire 23 0.15x
Gloucestershire 20 0.14x
Essex 19 0.13x
Shropshire 18 0.29x
Monmouthshire 17 0.32x
Staffordshire 13 0.05x
Cornwall 9 0.11x
Somerset 9 0.08x
Buckinghamshire 8 0.18x
Kinross-shire 8 4.37x
Sussex 8 0.07x
Cambridgeshire 7 0.15x
Derbyshire 7 0.06x
Devon 7 0.05x
Hertfordshire 7 0.14x
Nottinghamshire 7 0.07x
Royal Navy 7 0.81x
Norfolk 6 0.05x
Pembrokeshire 6 0.26x
Warwickshire 6 0.03x
Dumfriesshire 5 0.31x
Glamorgan 5 0.04x
Suffolk 5 0.06x
Westmorland 5 0.31x
Kirkcudbrightshire 3 0.29x
Northamptonshire 3 0.04x
Buteshire 2 0.46x
Berkshire 1 0.02x
Caernarfonshire 1 0.03x
Flintshire 1 0.05x
Isle of Man 1 0.07x
Wigtownshire 1 0.10x
Wiltshire 1 0.02x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Wick in Caithness leads with 489 Bains recorded in 1881 and an index of 152.53x.

Place Total Index
Wick 489 152.53x
Barony 391 6.59x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 365 9.34x
Govan 254 4.38x
Glasgow 242 5.81x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 139 11.07x
Latheron 112 67.46x
South Leith 109 9.97x
Aberdeen Old Machar 100 7.13x
Halkirk 82 122.13x
Thurso 82 52.97x
Inverness 81 14.88x
Gairloch 70 61.01x
Dundee 61 2.43x
North Leith 54 12.02x
Canisbay 52 79.80x
Duirinish 52 47.13x
Lambeth 49 0.78x
Row 48 19.05x
Nairn 43 32.03x
Bower 42 105.08x
Larbert 41 25.65x
Liff Benvie 40 3.92x
Abbotshall 39 24.32x
West Greenock 39 3.87x
Falkirk 38 6.07x
Kirkintilloch 38 14.36x
Rosskeen 37 39.49x
Kilmarnock 36 5.58x
Stirling 35 10.38x
New Spynie 33 81.40x
Dingwall 32 57.14x
Kirkcaldy 32 15.04x
Peterhead 32 9.01x
Dunfermline 31 4.70x
Forres 30 25.34x
Beath 29 21.39x
Cardross 29 12.40x
Dunrossness 29 29.75x
Islington London 29 0.41x
Kilmadock 28 37.43x
Rutherglen 28 8.14x
Watten 28 80.25x
Old Monkland 27 2.90x
Tarbat 27 57.39x
Fraserburgh 26 13.76x
Stornoway 26 10.02x
Westray Papa Westray 26 41.11x
Pitsligo 25 38.96x
Bonhill 24 7.68x
Eastwood 24 6.94x
Everton 24 0.88x
King Edward 24 31.02x
Penicuik 24 18.19x
Montrose 23 5.65x
Paisley High Church 23 5.14x
Dunnet 22 55.14x
East Greenock 22 4.15x
Elgin 22 10.04x
Inveresk 22 8.37x
Reay 22 40.43x
St Ninians 22 8.30x
Abbey 21 2.45x
Alloa 21 7.23x
Edinburgh St Georges 21 10.42x
Lerwick Gulberwick 21 18.33x
Cromdale 20 22.07x
Dumbarton 20 7.38x
Poplar London 20 1.46x
St Pancras London 20 0.34x
Bethnal Green London 19 0.60x
Camberwell 19 0.41x
Kilcalmonell 19 41.59x
Rathven 19 6.73x
Boness 18 11.96x
Edinburgh Canongate 18 7.28x
Liberton 18 12.01x
Newbattle 18 21.69x
Paddington London 18 0.68x
St Vigeans 18 4.97x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Bain surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 84
Elizabeth 48
Jane 33
Margaret 30
Ann 24
Annie 21
Isabella 20
Sarah 16
Agnes 15
Catherine 13
Martha 12
Jessie 11
Alice 10
Caroline 9
Edith 9
Eliza 9
Ellen 9
Anne 7
Charlotte 7
Christina 7
Emma 7
Elizth. 6
Emily 6
Ethel 6
Barbara 5
Helen 5
Janet 5
Kate 5
Amelia 4
Florence 4
Hannah 4
Louisa 4
Bridget 3
Daisy 3
Harriet 3
Harriett 3
Lucy 3
Maria 3
Nancy 3
Amy 2
Beatrice 2
Bella 2
Betsey 2
Elizth.A. 2
Flora 2
Hester 2
Lillie 2
Lizzie 2
Matilda 2
Minnie 2

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Bain surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 82
John 67
James 54
Alexander 28
George 27
Thomas 25
Robert 20
David 16
Donald 15
Charles 14
Henry 13
Andrew 12
Wm. 11
Joseph 10
Edward 9
Albert 7
Alfred 7
Arthur 7
Hugh 6
Walter 6
Frederick 5
Peter 5
Samuel 5
Christopher 4
Geo. 4
Herbert 4
Kenneth 4
Patrick 4
Richard 4
Colin 3
Francis 3
Harry 3
Thos. 3
Alexandra 2
Dennis 2
Duncan 2
Edwd. 2
Frank 2
Fredk. 2
Infant 2
Isaac 2
Jno. 2
Jus. 2
Matthew 2
Stephen 2
W. 2
Wallace 2
Angus 1
Daniel 1
Wm.Robt. 1

FAQ

Bain surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bain surname in 1881?

In 1881, 7,490 people were recorded with the Bain surname. That placed it at #567 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bain surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 8,782 in 2016. That gives Bain a modern rank of #745.

What does the Bain surname mean?

A Scottish and Irish surname derived from a nickname meaning "bone," likely referring to a person of strong build.

What does the Bain map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Bain bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.