NameCensus.

UK surname

Cain

A biblical surname referring to the first murderer, the son of Adam and Eve.

In the 1881 census there were 5,421 people recorded with the Cain surname, ranking it #820 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 7,706, ranked #865, down from #820 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Toxteth Park and Gateshead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Liverpool, South Derbyshire and Flintshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Cain is 7,957 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 42.2%.

1881 census count

5,421

Ranked #820

Modern count

7,706

2016, ranked #865

Peak year

2010

7,957 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Cain had 5,421 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #820 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 7,706 in 2016, ranked #865.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 5,752 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Cain surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Cain surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Cain 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 2,950 #983
1861 historical 3,237 #890
1881 historical 5,421 #820
1891 historical 5,060 #929
1901 historical 5,752 #967
1911 historical 5,605 #937
1997 modern 7,485 #859
1998 modern 7,707 #872
1999 modern 7,816 #868
2000 modern 7,725 #872
2001 modern 7,601 #865
2002 modern 7,781 #864
2003 modern 7,578 #865
2004 modern 7,559 #868
2005 modern 7,414 #874
2006 modern 7,463 #870
2007 modern 7,501 #872
2008 modern 7,530 #875
2009 modern 7,732 #872
2010 modern 7,957 #863
2011 modern 7,771 #871
2012 modern 7,602 #872
2013 modern 7,744 #870
2014 modern 7,811 #864
2015 modern 7,739 #863
2016 modern 7,706 #865

Geography

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Where Cains are most common

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

The modern local-area list points to Liverpool, South Derbyshire, Flintshire and Knowsley. 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 London parishes London 3
2 Toxteth Park Lancashire
3 Gateshead Durham
4 Manchester Lancashire
5 Liverpool Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Liverpool 007 Liverpool
2 South Derbyshire 011 South Derbyshire
3 Flintshire 015 Flintshire
4 Knowsley 008 Knowsley
5 Liverpool 015 Liverpool

Forenames

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First names often paired with Cain

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Cain

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

Young Families in Industrial Towns

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

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, Cain 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

Cain 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

Cain 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 Cain is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

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

Meaning and origin of Cain

The surname Cain is of English origin, derived from the biblical name Cain, the son of Adam and Eve who slew his brother Abel. It is believed to have been initially used as a surname in the 12th century.

The name Cain is thought to have originated from the Hebrew word "qanah," meaning "to acquire" or "to possess." This may have been a reference to Cain's occupation as a farmer or landowner.

One of the earliest records of the surname Cain can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which recorded landowners and tenants in England after the Norman Conquest. The name appears as "Cain" and "Caine" in various locations across the country.

In the 13th century, a family with the surname Cain was recorded in Gloucestershire, England. Notably, Sir Thomas Cain (c. 1270-1340) was a prominent English landowner and knight who served under King Edward III during the Hundred Years' War.

The surname also has connections to place names in England, such as Caine in Wiltshire and Caine's Farm in Hampshire. These locations may have contributed to the surname's spread and variations in spelling, like Cayne or Kaine.

During the 16th century, the name Cain gained recognition through the work of the English poet and playwright Thomas Sackville (1536-1608), who wrote the influential tragedy "Gorboduc" and was a co-author of the famous collection "A Myrrour for Magistrates."

Another notable figure was Sir Henry Cain (1597-1671), an English politician and member of the House of Commons during the English Civil War. He was a staunch supporter of the Parliamentarian cause and played a role in the trial and execution of King Charles I.

In the 18th century, John Cain (1726-1798) was a prominent English Baptist minister and author, known for his works on theology and religious controversies of the time.

The surname Cain also has a rich history in other countries, such as Ireland, where it is believed to have originated as an Anglicization of the Gaelic name "O'Cahan" or "O'Cathain."

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Cain families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Cain 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 1,729 Cains recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.40x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 1,729 2.40x
Isle of Man 790 70.12x
Middlesex 552 0.91x
Yorkshire 439 0.73x
Durham 422 2.34x
Lanarkshire 209 1.07x
Hertfordshire 204 4.88x
Bedfordshire 193 6.14x
Cheshire 158 1.18x
Warwickshire 130 0.85x
Surrey 126 0.43x
Staffordshire 110 0.54x
Northumberland 109 1.21x
Cumberland 101 1.93x
Kent 89 0.43x
Wigtownshire 84 10.43x
Midlothian 61 0.75x
Shropshire 57 1.09x
Ayrshire 56 1.23x
Hampshire 45 0.36x
Derbyshire 43 0.45x
Devon 43 0.34x
Nottinghamshire 38 0.46x
Essex 35 0.29x
Renfrewshire 32 0.68x
Sussex 29 0.28x
Norfolk 26 0.28x
West Lothian 26 2.85x
Cambridgeshire 23 0.60x
Lincolnshire 22 0.23x
Worcestershire 22 0.28x
Glamorgan 19 0.18x
Stirlingshire 18 0.80x
Fife 14 0.39x
Leicestershire 14 0.21x
Berkshire 12 0.26x
Gloucestershire 12 0.10x
Buckinghamshire 11 0.30x
Royal Navy 11 1.52x
Suffolk 10 0.14x
Dunbartonshire 9 0.55x
Huntingdonshire 9 0.75x
Angus 8 0.14x
Flintshire 8 0.49x
Merionethshire 7 0.63x
Northamptonshire 6 0.11x
Aberdeenshire 5 0.09x
Caernarfonshire 5 0.20x
Dorset 5 0.13x
Dumfriesshire 5 0.37x
Channel Islands 4 0.22x
Herefordshire 4 0.16x
Brecknockshire 3 0.25x
Wiltshire 3 0.06x
Perthshire 2 0.07x
Selkirkshire 2 0.36x
Argyllshire 1 0.06x
Berwickshire 1 0.14x
Cardiganshire 1 0.07x
Cornwall 1 0.01x
Kirkcudbrightshire 1 0.11x
Monmouthshire 1 0.02x
Oxfordshire 1 0.03x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.05x
Roxburghshire 1 0.09x
Somerset 1 0.01x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Onchan in Isle of Man leads with 358 Cains recorded in 1881 and an index of 110.32x.

Place Total Index
Onchan 358 110.32x
Liverpool 309 7.07x
Toxteth Park 163 6.69x
Luton 142 26.11x
Manchester 120 3.71x
Everton 86 3.75x
Braddan 81 131.64x
West Derby 71 3.37x
Birmingham 67 1.31x
German 67 109.03x
Malew 66 67.07x
Patrick 63 114.73x
Ealing 55 10.14x
Islington London 55 0.94x
Leeds 55 1.62x
St Paul Walden 55 259.68x
Aston 52 1.23x
Hulme 51 3.39x
Wigan 48 4.77x
Bootle Cum Linacre 43 7.52x
Widnes 42 8.09x
Kirkdale 39 3.22x
Warrington 39 4.57x
Little Bolton 38 4.11x
Gateshead 37 2.74x
Govan 34 0.70x
Northowram 34 8.07x
Salford 33 1.56x
Bishopwearmouth 32 2.07x
Great Bolton 32 3.36x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 32 4.09x
Heworth 32 9.00x
Marown 29 141.05x
St Marylebone London 29 0.90x
Bromley London 28 2.10x
Halifax 28 3.17x
Lilley 28 266.41x
Offley 28 102.94x
St Pancras London 28 0.57x
Rushen 27 35.44x
Shoreditch London 27 1.03x
Bradford 26 1.79x
German Peel 26 40.08x
Hamilton 26 4.75x
Clerkenwell London 25 1.75x
Darlington 25 3.59x
Kensington London 25 0.74x
Preston 25 1.30x
Maughold 24 27.61x
Sheffield 24 1.25x
Westoe 23 2.25x
Bethnal Green London 22 0.83x
Cleator 22 10.12x
Walton On Hill 22 5.64x
Birkenhead 21 1.97x
Dalton In Furness 21 7.56x
Litherland 21 13.95x
Portpatrick 21 77.78x
Stockton On Tees 21 2.41x
Stretford 21 5.30x
Whithorn 21 34.21x
Workington 21 7.02x
Bermondsey 20 1.11x
Lambeth 20 0.38x
Longbenton 20 5.23x
St Andrew Holborn London 20 7.61x
Stockport 20 2.90x
Blackburn 19 0.99x
Kingston On Thames 19 2.68x
Shotts 19 8.09x
Manningham 18 2.43x
Paddington London 18 0.81x
Barrow In Furness 17 1.74x
Burnley 17 2.80x
Burslem 17 2.90x
Glasgow 17 0.49x
Poplar London 17 1.48x
Southwick 17 9.95x
Stoke Damerel 17 1.92x
Wardleworth 17 4.13x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 503
Elizabeth 203
Margaret 171
Sarah 154
Ann 150
Catherine 125
Ellen 107
Jane 93
Annie 74
Bridget 68
Alice 57
Emily 54
Eliza 51
Emma 49
Hannah 41
Louisa 31
Anne 30
Maria 28
Martha 26
Caroline 25
Kate 25
Charlotte 23
Isabella 22
Eleanor 20
Esther 19
Clara 18
Edith 18
Julia 18
Agnes 17
Ada 16
Elizth. 16
Fanny 14
Frances 14
Harriet 14
Rose 14
Catharine 13
Florence 13
Amelia 11
Margret 11
Susan 11
Margt. 10
Ethel 9
Jessie 9
Matilda 9
Lucy 8
Ruth 8
Amy 7
Betsy 7
Christian 7
Maggie 7

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 498
Thomas 285
William 266
James 264
George 111
Patrick 110
Michael 97
Charles 83
Edward 83
Joseph 79
Robert 66
Henry 60
Peter 41
Alfred 38
Daniel 38
Martin 37
Richard 29
Frederick 27
Arthur 25
Walter 25
Hugh 24
David 21
Francis 18
Harry 18
Thos. 18
Philip 17
Albert 16
Bernard 14
Samuel 13
Wm. 13
Herbert 12
Christopher 10
Cornelius 10
Frank 10
Andrew 9
Dennis 9
Ernest 8
Fredk. 8
Matthew 7
Jas. 6
Matthias 6
Stephen 6
Timothy 6
Edmund 5
Jno. 5
Luke 5
Owen 5
Sydney 5
Austin 4
Jeremiah 4

FAQ

Cain surname: questions and answers

How common was the Cain surname in 1881?

In 1881, 5,421 people were recorded with the Cain surname. That placed it at #820 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Cain surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 7,706 in 2016. That gives Cain a modern rank of #865.

What does the Cain surname mean?

A biblical surname referring to the first murderer, the son of Adam and Eve.

What does the Cain map show?

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