NameCensus.

UK surname

Maines

Habitational surname derived from the French province of Maine, indicating someone who originated from that region.

In the 1881 census there were 85 people recorded with the Maines surname, ranking it #21,573 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 208, ranked #19,062, up from #21,573 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Bury and Winwick. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Newcastle upon Tyne, Liverpool and Knowsley.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Maines is 216 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 144.7%.

1881 census count

85

Ranked #21,573

Modern count

208

2016, ranked #19,062

Peak year

1999

216 bearers

Map years

6

1891 to 2016

Key insights

  • Maines had 85 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #21,573 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 208 in 2016, ranked #19,062.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 161 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Maines surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Maines surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Maines 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 76 #20,127
1861 historical 60 #26,313
1881 historical 85 #21,573
1891 historical 115 #21,878
1901 historical 104 #22,310
1911 historical 161 #17,072
1997 modern 198 #17,729
1998 modern 201 #18,047
1999 modern 216 #17,364
2000 modern 203 #18,043
2001 modern 198 #18,047
2002 modern 203 #18,115
2003 modern 192 #18,568
2004 modern 188 #18,919
2005 modern 184 #19,117
2006 modern 199 #18,357
2007 modern 209 #17,951
2008 modern 206 #18,300
2009 modern 212 #18,328
2010 modern 213 #18,660
2011 modern 212 #18,575
2012 modern 205 #18,909
2013 modern 212 #18,820
2014 modern 216 #18,705
2015 modern 209 #19,018
2016 modern 208 #19,062

Geography

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Where Maines' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Bury, Winwick, Manchester and Warrington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Newcastle upon Tyne, Liverpool 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 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
2 Bury Lancashire
3 Winwick Lancashire
4 Manchester Lancashire
5 Warrington Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Newcastle upon Tyne 024 Newcastle upon Tyne
2 Newcastle upon Tyne 029 Newcastle upon Tyne
3 Liverpool 018 Liverpool
4 Knowsley 006 Knowsley
5 Newcastle upon Tyne 019 Newcastle upon Tyne

Forenames

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First names often paired with Maines

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Maines

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Maines, 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 Maines surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Young Families in Industrial Towns, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Maines 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

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Maines is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. 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

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Maines is most concentrated in decile 5 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Maines 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 Maines 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 - British

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

Meaning and origin of Maines

The surname Maines has its origins in medieval England, where it first emerged as a locational name derived from the Old English word "mæne," meaning "common" or "shared." This suggests that the name may have initially identified someone who lived near a common or shared piece of land.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "de Maines." This entry indicates that the name was already in use among the Norman aristocracy in England shortly after the Norman Conquest of 1066.

Over time, the name evolved into various spellings, such as Maines, Mayne, and Mayn. These variations likely arose due to dialectal differences and the inconsistent spellings common in medieval times.

In the 13th century, records show a Sir William de Maines, a prominent knight who held lands in Oxfordshire. Another notable bearer of the name was John Maines, a wealthy merchant from Bristol who lived in the late 14th century and served as the city's mayor in 1388.

During the 16th century, the Maines surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Worcestershire and Gloucestershire. One notable figure from this period was Richard Maines (c. 1510-1578), a member of the influential Maines family of Gloucestershire and a prominent supporter of the Protestant Reformation.

In the 17th century, the name appears in various historical records, including the parish registers of St. Michael's Church in Coventry, where several members of the Maines family were recorded as living in the area.

Notable individuals with the surname Maines include Sir Christopher Maines (1590-1664), an English politician and member of Parliament during the reign of Charles I, and John Maines (1662-1739), an English historian and topographer who authored several works on the history of Surrey and Hampshire.

Other notable figures include Edward Maines (1801-1884), an English lawyer and legal writer who published works on ancient law and the history of the English constitution, and George Maines (1840-1912), a British architect known for his designs of several notable buildings in London and the surrounding areas.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Maines families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Maines 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 56 Maines' recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.69x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 56 5.69x
Yorkshire 6 0.73x
Durham 5 2.03x
Somerset 5 3.75x
Cambridgeshire 2 3.81x
Gloucestershire 2 1.23x
Middlesex 2 0.24x
Northumberland 2 1.62x
Derbyshire 1 0.77x
Essex 1 0.61x
Lanarkshire 1 0.37x
Renfrewshire 1 1.56x
Surrey 1 0.25x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bury in Lancashire leads with 20 Maines' recorded in 1881 and an index of 177.94x.

Place Total Index
Bury 20 177.94x
Southworth With Croft 19 6551.72x
Liverpool 6 10.04x
Warrington 6 51.46x
Street 4 555.56x
East Murton 3 652.17x
Huddersfield 3 25.06x
Bristol St Paul In 2 46.19x
Morpeth 2 137.93x
Newton In Makerfield 2 66.45x
Sculcoates 2 15.35x
Wisbech St Peter 2 76.05x
Barking 1 20.88x
Boynton 1 2500.00x
Broughton In Salford 1 11.11x
Glasgow 1 2.10x
Islington London 1 1.24x
Port Glasgow 1 32.15x
Ripley 1 62.50x
Salford 1 3.46x
Shoreditch London 1 2.78x
Shotton 1 163.93x
Southwark St George Martyr 1 6.00x
Stockton On Tees 1 8.41x
Tottington Lower End 1 21.37x
Walton 1 666.67x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Ellen 5
Jane 4
Mary 4
Elizabeth 3
Sarah 3
Alice 2
Ann 2
Annie 2
Fanny 2
Sophia 2
Ada 1
Blanche 1
Catherine 1
Eliza 1
Emily 1
Harriet 1
Harriett 1
Jessie 1
Laura 1
Lucy 1
Margaret 1
Margt. 1
Matilda 1
Rosannah 1
Susan 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 9
James 4
Samuel 4
Thomas 3
William 3
George 2
Hugh 2
Isaac 2
Joseph 2
Bernard 1
David 1
Enoch 1
Harry 1
Robert 1
Walter 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Maines surname: questions and answers

How common was the Maines surname in 1881?

In 1881, 85 people were recorded with the Maines surname. That placed it at #21,573 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Maines surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 208 in 2016. That gives Maines a modern rank of #19,062.

What does the Maines surname mean?

Habitational surname derived from the French province of Maine, indicating someone who originated from that region.

What does the Maines map show?

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