NameCensus.

UK surname

Baines

Derived from a French topographic name referring to someone who lived near a public bath or bathing place.

In the 1881 census there were 5,734 people recorded with the Baines surname, ranking it #768 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 8,887, ranked #737, up from #768 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lancaster Borough, London parishes and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include South Lakeland, Rutland and Wyre.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Baines is 9,444 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 55.0%.

1881 census count

5,734

Ranked #768

Modern count

8,887

2016, ranked #737

Peak year

2010

9,444 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Baines had 5,734 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #768 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 8,887 in 2016, ranked #737.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 8,490 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Baines surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Baines surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Baines 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 2,889 #1,005
1861 historical 3,255 #882
1881 historical 5,734 #768
1891 historical 5,998 #779
1901 historical 7,396 #724
1911 historical 8,490 #583
1997 modern 8,999 #700
1998 modern 9,316 #706
1999 modern 9,335 #709
2000 modern 9,318 #706
2001 modern 9,132 #703
2002 modern 9,316 #706
2003 modern 9,073 #708
2004 modern 9,051 #709
2005 modern 8,873 #712
2006 modern 8,883 #714
2007 modern 8,943 #714
2008 modern 8,963 #716
2009 modern 9,231 #709
2010 modern 9,444 #711
2011 modern 9,269 #717
2012 modern 8,961 #727
2013 modern 9,077 #728
2014 modern 9,132 #730
2015 modern 8,965 #735
2016 modern 8,887 #737

Geography

Back to top

Where Baines' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lancaster Borough, London parishes, Manchester, Preston and Liverpool. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to South Lakeland, Rutland, Wyre and Bassetlaw. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Lancaster Borough Lancashire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Preston Lancashire
5 Liverpool Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 South Lakeland 009 South Lakeland
2 Rutland 005 Rutland
3 Wyre 004 Wyre
4 Bassetlaw 016 Bassetlaw
5 Wyre 001 Wyre

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Baines

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Baines

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Baines, 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

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Baines surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Baines household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Baines 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

Baines is most concentrated in decile 8 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Baines falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

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

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Baines 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 Baines, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Baines

The surname Baines is of English origin and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "baine," meaning "russet" or "pale-red brown," and was likely a nickname given to someone with reddish-brown hair or complexion.

The earliest recorded mention of the name Baines can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lancashire from 1176, where it appears as "Bane." Over time, the name evolved into its current spelling of "Baines," which is most commonly found in the north of England, particularly in Lancashire and Yorkshire.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Roger Baines, a landowner from Lancashire who was mentioned in the Feet of Fines records of 1292. Another notable figure was Thomas Baines (c. 1480-1549), a prominent English Catholic priest and scholar who served as the Master of the College of the Clergy in Lichfield.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Baines was often associated with the woolen trade, as many families with this surname were involved in the production and sale of woolen goods in the textile centers of northern England.

In the 18th century, Edward Baines (1774-1848) was a prominent English journalist and politician who founded the Leeds Mercury newspaper in 1818. He was also a member of Parliament and an advocate for parliamentary reform.

Another notable figure was Thomas Baines (1822-1875), an English artist and explorer who is renowned for his paintings and sketches of African landscapes and wildlife. He accompanied several major expeditions to South Africa and was one of the first Europeans to document the Victoria Falls.

In the 19th century, Sir John Athelstane Baines (1853-1935) was a British colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) from 1914 to 1923.

While the name Baines has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through emigration and colonization. However, its origins can be traced back to the 12th century and the Old French word "baine," reflecting the rich history and evolution of this surname over centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Baines families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Baines 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. Lancashire leads with 1,474 Baines' recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.22x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 1,474 2.22x
Yorkshire 1,370 2.47x
Middlesex 376 0.67x
Durham 233 1.40x
Lincolnshire 228 2.55x
Surrey 183 0.67x
Nottinghamshire 155 2.06x
Essex 151 1.37x
Leicestershire 142 2.29x
Rutland 128 31.17x
Staffordshire 118 0.63x
Westmorland 100 8.13x
Kent 94 0.49x
Sussex 93 0.99x
Derbyshire 81 0.93x
Hertfordshire 60 1.56x
Cheshire 59 0.48x
Northamptonshire 59 1.12x
Bedfordshire 55 1.90x
Norfolk 51 0.59x
Northumberland 44 0.53x
Warwickshire 40 0.28x
Oxfordshire 39 1.13x
Hampshire 36 0.31x
Worcestershire 35 0.48x
Cambridgeshire 32 0.90x
Monmouthshire 27 0.67x
Montgomeryshire 26 2.03x
Gloucestershire 25 0.23x
Suffolk 25 0.37x
Buckinghamshire 20 0.59x
Devon 19 0.16x
Shropshire 18 0.37x
Glamorgan 16 0.16x
Cumberland 12 0.25x
Denbighshire 12 0.57x
Lanarkshire 12 0.07x
Midlothian 12 0.16x
Huntingdonshire 11 0.99x
Merionethshire 11 1.07x
Wiltshire 11 0.22x
Somerset 8 0.09x
Berkshire 6 0.14x
Cornwall 6 0.09x
Herefordshire 6 0.26x
Dorset 5 0.14x
Caithness 3 0.39x
Stirlingshire 2 0.10x
Channel Islands 1 0.06x
Dunbartonshire 1 0.07x
Flintshire 1 0.07x
Royal Navy 1 0.15x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Preston in Lancashire leads with 180 Baines' recorded in 1881 and an index of 10.14x.

Place Total Index
Preston 180 10.14x
Islington London 82 1.51x
Leeds 73 2.33x
Liverpool 66 1.64x
Sheffield 66 3.74x
Lancaster 60 15.19x
Bradford 59 4.40x
Manchester 53 1.78x
Barrow In Furness 50 5.54x
Leicester St Margaret 47 3.11x
Horbury 44 45.38x
Uppingham 42 85.78x
Blackburn 40 2.27x
Haydock 37 32.35x
West Derby 37 1.91x
Ecclesall Bierlow 36 3.19x
Hunslet 36 4.17x
Kendal 36 16.00x
Lambeth 36 0.74x
Everton 35 1.65x
Headingley Cum Burley 35 9.81x
Accrington 34 5.63x
Salford 34 1.74x
Pirton 32 147.53x
Stranton 31 5.53x
Halifax 29 3.56x
Nottingham St Mary 29 1.49x
Toxteth Park 29 1.29x
Camberwell 28 0.78x
Nether Hallam 28 3.73x
St Marylebone London 28 0.94x
Holbeck 27 7.35x
Windle 27 7.23x
Blakeney 26 169.16x
Chorlton On Medlock 26 2.47x
Sedgley 26 3.71x
Brighton 25 1.31x
Hackney London 25 0.80x
Stoke Upon Trent 25 1.25x
Westleigh 25 16.59x
Broughton In Salford 22 3.63x
Leighton Buzzard 22 17.66x
Wigan 22 2.37x
Hulme 21 1.52x
Lexden 21 47.38x
Hebden 20 333.89x
Leicester St Mary 20 3.99x
Scarborough 19 3.77x
St George Hanover Square 19 1.93x
Wavertree 19 8.94x
Ashton Under Lyne 18 1.24x
Aston 18 0.46x
Clifton In York 18 15.53x
Hurworth 18 61.77x
West Ham 18 0.74x
Bingley 17 4.82x
Chipping 17 89.95x
Eccleshill 17 12.60x
Gainsborough 17 8.06x
Gorton 17 2.72x
Habergham Eaves 17 2.80x
Lewisham 17 1.67x
Stockport 17 2.68x
Bedwellty 16 2.24x
Brightside Bierlow 16 1.47x
Hartfield 16 53.64x
Hipperholme Cum 16 6.57x
Ingleton 16 51.30x
Morley 16 5.55x
Naburn 16 146.92x
Newark Upon Trent 16 5.90x
Oakham Lordshold 16 37.23x
Rotherham 16 5.12x
Chelsea London 15 0.89x
Clapham 15 2.15x
Horton In Bradford 15 1.73x
Newington 15 0.73x
Newton 15 2.93x
Thorney 15 483.87x
Warrington 15 1.91x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 457
Sarah 227
Elizabeth 206
Ann 117
Jane 117
Margaret 114
Alice 92
Annie 92
Ellen 84
Eliza 81
Emma 70
Hannah 57
Martha 53
Emily 45
Fanny 40
Agnes 38
Catherine 36
Harriet 32
Clara 30
Lucy 30
Louisa 29
Maria 29
Anne 28
Florence 28
Charlotte 26
Ada 25
Isabella 24
Caroline 23
Edith 23
Frances 17
Rebecca 17
Rose 16
Susan 16
Elizth. 15
Eleanor 14
Sophia 14
Esther 12
Grace 11
Kate 11
Ethel 10
Julia 10
Laura 10
Betsy 9
Gertrude 9
Maud 9
Harriett 8
Lizzie 8
Mabel 8
Ruth 8
Betty 7

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 385
William 359
Thomas 237
James 188
George 174
Joseph 116
Henry 104
Charles 84
Robert 78
Richard 64
Edward 61
Arthur 51
Frederick 51
Alfred 50
Albert 44
Walter 40
Samuel 28
Francis 25
Harry 25
Herbert 23
Frank 21
David 20
Christopher 14
Ernest 14
Fred 14
Michael 13
Patrick 13
Thos. 13
Tom 13
Wm. 13
Edwin 12
Benjamin 11
Alexander 8
Isaac 8
Jonathan 8
Edmund 7
Geo. 7
Joe 7
Leonard 7
Mark 7
Peter 7
Willm. 6
Chas. 5
Cuthbert 5
Daniel 5
Harold 5
Horace 5
Joshua 5
Lawrence 5
Robt. 5

FAQ

Baines surname: questions and answers

How common was the Baines surname in 1881?

In 1881, 5,734 people were recorded with the Baines surname. That placed it at #768 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Baines surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 8,887 in 2016. That gives Baines a modern rank of #737.

What does the Baines surname mean?

Derived from a French topographic name referring to someone who lived near a public bath or bathing place.

What does the Baines map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Baines 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.