NameCensus.

UK surname

Bains

A surname of French origin referring to someone who lived near a public bath or owned one.

In the 1881 census there were 751 people recorded with the Bains surname, ranking it #4,906 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 4,985, ranked #1,356, up from #4,906 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Gateshead, Peterborough St John the Baptist and Crowland. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Ealing, Sandwell and Slough.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Bains is 5,176 in 2011. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 563.8%.

1881 census count

751

Ranked #4,906

Modern count

4,985

2016, ranked #1,356

Peak year

2011

5,176 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Bains had 751 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #4,906 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 4,985 in 2016, ranked #1,356.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 824 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Suburban Professionals.

Bains surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Bains surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Bains 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 653 #3,979
1861 historical 824 #3,344
1881 historical 751 #4,906
1891 historical 709 #5,541
1901 historical 519 #7,831
1911 historical 434 #8,740
1997 modern 3,475 #1,864
1998 modern 3,704 #1,820
1999 modern 3,840 #1,770
2000 modern 3,979 #1,704
2001 modern 3,935 #1,681
2002 modern 4,163 #1,623
2003 modern 4,236 #1,558
2004 modern 4,358 #1,519
2005 modern 4,437 #1,475
2006 modern 4,525 #1,445
2007 modern 4,698 #1,402
2008 modern 4,831 #1,376
2009 modern 4,966 #1,367
2010 modern 5,163 #1,348
2011 modern 5,176 #1,323
2012 modern 4,957 #1,351
2013 modern 5,097 #1,340
2014 modern 5,064 #1,352
2015 modern 4,996 #1,359
2016 modern 4,985 #1,356

Geography

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Where Bains' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Gateshead, Peterborough St John the Baptist, Crowland, Whittlesey St Mary and St Andrew, Standground (Stilton & Peterborough, Northamptonshire) and Liverpool. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Ealing, Sandwell, Slough and Wolverhampton. 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 Gateshead Durham
2 Peterborough St John the Baptist Northamptonshire
3 Crowland Northamptonshire
4 Whittlesey St Mary and St Andrew, Standground (Stilton & Peterborough, Northamptonshire) Cambridgeshire
5 Liverpool Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Ealing 037 Ealing
2 Ealing 026 Ealing
3 Sandwell 028 Sandwell
4 Slough 008 Slough
5 Wolverhampton 035 Wolverhampton

Forenames

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First names often paired with Bains

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Bains

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

Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals

Group

Suburban Professionals

Nationally, the Bains surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Suburban Professionals, within Ethnically Diverse Suburban Professionals. This does not mean every Bains household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Employment in this Group is typically in managerial and professional occupations, and education to degree level is common. Residents are typically of working age, many of whom identify with an Indian ethnicity. Households are unlikely to be of Mixed or Multiple ethnicities, and English is not the main language used in some households. This Group is found on the outskirts of most conurbations as well as in the suburbs of some free-standing towns.

Wider pattern

Those working within the managerial, professional and administrative occupations typically reflect a wide range of ethnic groups, and reside in detached or semi-detached housing. Their residential locations at the edges of cities and conurbations and car-based lifestyles are more characteristic of Supergroup membership than birthplace or participation in child-rearing. Houses are typically owner-occupied and marriage rates are lower than the national average. This Supergroup is found throughout suburban UK.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburban Asian Communities

Group

Young Asian Family Terraces

Within London, Bains is most associated with areas classed as Young Asian Family Terraces, part of Suburban Asian Communities. 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

These households with dependent children typically live in terraced housing and are of (non-Chinese) Asian extraction. Individuals with Bangladeshi origins are particularly in evidence. Employment is often in elementary occupations or as process, plant or machine operatives, and part-time work is common. Students are much in evidence.

Wider London pattern

Many residents of these neighbourhoods are of (non-Chinese) Asian descent, with many identifying as Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi. Neighbourhoods are located across large areas of suburban west, north-east and south London. Detached, semi-detached and terraced houses are more prevalent than flats and socially rented housing is uncommon. Few residents live in communal establishments. Many families have dependent children, sometimes in overcrowded accommodation, and few households are ethnically mixed. Marriage rates are above the London average. The even age distribution, relative absence of individuals living alone and frequent incidence of households with children suggests that multi-generation households may be relatively common. Employment is often in skilled trades, elementary, sales and customer service occupations, and roles as process, plant, and machine operatives. Manufacturing and construction are well represented, along with employment in distribution, hotels, and restaurants. Many adults have only level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. English is not used at home by some residents. Religious affiliation is above average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Bains is most concentrated in decile 10 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.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Bains falls in decile 4 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.

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Bains is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

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

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
Asian - Indian

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

Meaning and origin of Bains

The surname BAINS is of Anglo-Norman origin, deriving from the Old French word "bain" meaning "bath" or "bathing place". It is believed to have originated in Normandy, France during the 11th century. The name was likely initially used as a topographic surname, referring to someone who lived near a bathhouse or natural spring.

The earliest recorded instance of the BAINS surname dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "de Bains" in reference to a Norman landowner in Yorkshire, England. This suggests that the name was brought to England by Norman settlers following the Norman Conquest of 1066.

In the 12th century, the BAINS name was found in various regions of England, including Lincolnshire and Somerset. One notable bearer was William de Bains, who was recorded as holding lands in Lincolnshire in 1166.

During the 13th century, the BAINS surname began to appear in Scottish records as well. In 1296, Aleyn de Bayns, a Scottish landowner, swore fealty to King Edward I of England, indicating the presence of the name in Scotland at that time.

One of the earliest known bearers of the BAINS surname was Sir Walter de Baines, a 14th-century English knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War against France. He was born around 1320 and died in 1386.

In the 16th century, the BAINS surname was associated with the village of Baines in Haddingtonshire, Scotland. John Bains, born in 1520, was a prominent Scottish scholar and author who served as a professor at the University of St. Andrews.

Another notable bearer was Sir James Baines, an English politician and lawyer who lived from 1600 to 1679. He served as a Member of Parliament and was knighted for his services to the Crown.

In the 18th century, Edward Baines (1774-1848) was a renowned English reformer, journalist, and politician. He founded the Leeds Mercury newspaper and campaigned for social and political reforms.

Additionally, Thomas Baines (1822-1875) was a British artist and explorer who traveled extensively in Southern Africa and documented his journeys through paintings and writings.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Bains families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Bains 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 156 Bains' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.81x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 156 1.81x
Durham 80 3.71x
Lincolnshire 55 4.74x
Yorkshire 55 0.76x
Nottinghamshire 54 5.52x
Northamptonshire 48 7.03x
Middlesex 46 0.63x
Northumberland 30 2.78x
Monmouthshire 24 4.57x
Derbyshire 23 2.02x
Essex 17 1.19x
Glamorgan 17 1.35x
Shropshire 16 2.55x
Staffordshire 13 0.53x
Surrey 12 0.34x
Cambridgeshire 11 2.39x
Westmorland 10 6.27x
Huntingdonshire 8 5.55x
Leicestershire 7 0.87x
Caithness 6 6.04x
Gloucestershire 6 0.42x
Renfrewshire 6 1.07x
Kent 5 0.20x
Denbighshire 4 1.46x
Hertfordshire 4 0.80x
Merionethshire 4 3.01x
Wiltshire 4 0.62x
Norfolk 3 0.27x
Warwickshire 3 0.16x
Cheshire 2 0.12x
Lanarkshire 2 0.09x
Worcestershire 2 0.21x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.23x
Cornwall 1 0.12x
Cumberland 1 0.16x
Devon 1 0.07x
Dorset 1 0.21x
Kinross-shire 1 5.45x
Montgomeryshire 1 0.60x
Perthshire 1 0.31x
Rutland 1 1.88x
Stirlingshire 1 0.37x
Sussex 1 0.08x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Westoe in Durham leads with 72 Bains' recorded in 1881 and an index of 58.82x.

Place Total Index
Westoe 72 58.82x
Bedwellty 23 24.83x
Liverpool 16 3.06x
Standground 16 489.30x
Peterborough 15 30.35x
Elswick 14 16.25x
Glanford Brigg 14 338.16x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 12 18.61x
St Martin 12 171.18x
Leeds 11 2.71x
Tottington Lower End 11 26.88x
Clee With Weelsby 10 39.37x
Kirkdale 10 6.90x
Thriplow 10 869.57x
Hackney London 9 2.21x
Sedgley 9 9.89x
St Pancras London 9 1.54x
Sutton 9 31.16x
Thursley 9 354.33x
Barton Upon Irwell 8 12.34x
Everton 8 2.91x
Mansfield 8 23.63x
Cardiff St John 7 16.96x
Crowland 7 96.15x
Heapey 7 760.87x
Newborough 7 402.30x
Nuthall 7 190.74x
Toxteth Park 7 2.40x
Wigan 7 5.82x
Coal Aston 6 306.12x
Colchester St Giles 6 42.37x
Colton 6 133.63x
Ince In Makerfield 6 14.97x
Latheron 6 36.10x
Merthyr Tydfil 6 4.94x
Newton With Scales 6 895.52x
Pendleton In Salford 6 5.85x
Staverton 6 1000.00x
Stockton On Tees 6 5.76x
Beighton 5 97.09x
Bothamsall 5 757.58x
Calverton 5 161.29x
Eccleston In Prescot 5 11.57x
Garston 5 19.67x
Glinton 5 510.20x
Great Grimsby 5 6.79x
Manchester 5 1.29x
Newbold Dunston 5 46.30x
Ragnall 5 1111.11x
Sheffield 5 2.18x
Walthamstow 5 9.70x
West Ham 5 1.58x
Yaxley 5 148.37x
York St Mary 5 16.78x
Babworth 4 219.78x
Bushey 4 33.59x
Chelsea London 4 1.83x
East Retford 4 47.11x
Gwyddelwern Cynwyd 4 341.88x
Heversham With Milnthorpe 4 104.17x
Kirkby In Ashfield 4 38.24x
Knottingley 4 31.65x
Leicester St Margaret 4 2.04x
Litchurch 4 8.75x
St Peterat Gowts Lincoln 4 24.51x
West Greenock 4 3.96x
Wolverhampton 4 2.12x
Ecclesall Bierlow 3 2.05x
Fletton 3 65.08x
Great Bedwin 3 65.79x
Hindley 3 8.17x
Holme 3 154.64x
Holy Trinity 3 1.73x
Kensington London 3 0.74x
Kilburn 3 312.50x
Laxton 3 250.00x
Paddington London 3 1.12x
Peakirk 3 491.80x
Thornton In Fylde 3 15.92x
Windle 3 6.19x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 66
Elizabeth 33
Ann 26
Sarah 24
Jane 19
Alice 15
Emma 14
Annie 11
Margaret 11
Ellen 9
Eliza 8
Fanny 6
Caroline 5
Catherine 5
Emily 5
Hannah 5
Harriet 5
Isabella 5
Lucy 5
Maria 5
Martha 5
Susannah 4
Agnes 3
Charlotte 3
Louisa 3
Selina 3
Ada 2
Betsy 2
Clara 2
Elizebeth 2
Elizh. 2
Ethel 2
Euphemia 2
Florence 2
Harriett 2
Janette 2
Julia 2
Olive 2
Polly 2
Rosina 2
Blanche 1
Bridget 1
Cath. 1
E.G. 1
Eleanor 1
Eliz.J. 1
Elizbeth 1
H.M. 1
Hanna 1
Willhemina 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 47
John 44
Thomas 37
James 26
Joseph 16
George 15
Richard 14
Robert 10
Henry 9
Alexander 7
Alfred 7
Charles 6
David 6
Frederick 6
Edward 5
Harry 4
Walter 4
Arthur 3
Benjamin 3
Wm. 3
Albert 2
Alexandra 2
Fredrick 2
Michael 2
Tho. 2
Alexdr. 1
Anthony 1
Benjamen 1
Christopher 1
Earnest 1
Edmond 1
Evan 1
Fanny 1
Francis 1
Fred 1
Geo. 1
Geo.Mansfield 1
Guy 1
Jack 1
Johnathan 1
Jonathan 1
Joshua 1
Laurence 1
Mark 1
Mary 1
Morgan 1
Nathaniel 1
Patrick 1
Peter 1
Zacceus 1

FAQ

Bains surname: questions and answers

How common was the Bains surname in 1881?

In 1881, 751 people were recorded with the Bains surname. That placed it at #4,906 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Bains surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 4,985 in 2016. That gives Bains a modern rank of #1,356.

What does the Bains surname mean?

A surname of French origin referring to someone who lived near a public bath or owned one.

What does the Bains map show?

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