NameCensus.

UK surname

Mains

Derived from a Scottish place name or from the Old French demeine, meaning "of the estate" or "belonging to the lord."

In the 1881 census there were 491 people recorded with the Mains surname, ranking it #6,865 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 741, ranked #7,368, down from #6,865 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Port Glasgow, Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside and Govan Combination. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include County Durham, Greenock East and Northampton.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mains is 741 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 50.9%.

1881 census count

491

Ranked #6,865

Modern count

741

2016, ranked #7,368

Peak year

2016

741 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mains had 491 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #6,865 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 741 in 2016, ranked #7,368.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 593 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Mains surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mains surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mains 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 340 #6,905
1861 historical 414 #6,200
1881 historical 491 #6,865
1891 historical 497 #7,465
1901 historical 593 #7,137
1911 historical 254 #12,748
1997 modern 624 #7,925
1998 modern 637 #8,026
1999 modern 655 #7,905
2000 modern 647 #7,961
2001 modern 626 #8,019
2002 modern 638 #8,074
2003 modern 608 #8,244
2004 modern 633 #7,994
2005 modern 616 #8,102
2006 modern 593 #8,359
2007 modern 597 #8,383
2008 modern 615 #8,252
2009 modern 645 #8,129
2010 modern 686 #7,894
2011 modern 676 #7,906
2012 modern 678 #7,806
2013 modern 695 #7,763
2014 modern 719 #7,619
2015 modern 724 #7,527
2016 modern 741 #7,368

Geography

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Where Mains' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Port Glasgow, Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside, Govan Combination, Gateshead and Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to County Durham, Greenock East, Northampton and Middlesbrough. 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 Port Glasgow Renfrew
2 Lanchester (Collierley, Kyo, Billingside, Medomsley, Ebchchester, Benfieldside, Heelyfield, Conside Durham
3 Govan Combination Lanark
4 Gateshead Durham
5 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 County Durham 052 County Durham
2 County Durham 049 County Durham
3 Greenock East Inverclyde
4 Northampton 017 Northampton
5 Middlesbrough 010 Middlesbrough

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mains

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mains

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Mains, 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 Mains surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Mains 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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Mains is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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 primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Mains 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

Mains 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 Mains is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of Over 70 mbit/s.

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

10
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Mains

The surname Mains is of Scottish origin, deriving from the Scots word "mains" which means the home farm or principal farm of an estate. It is believed to have emerged as a hereditary surname in the 12th or 13th century, when it was used to identify individuals who lived or worked on the main farm of a feudal lord's lands.

In medieval Scottish records, the surname appears with various spellings, such as Mains, Maynes, and Mayn. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which list a Richard de Mayn as a landowner who swore fealty to King Edward I of England.

During the 13th and 14th centuries, the Mains surname was particularly prevalent in the Scottish Lowlands, particularly in the regions of Lanarkshire, Ayrshire, and Renfrewshire. These areas were home to several notable Mains families, including the Mains of Caldwell in Renfrewshire, who held lands from the 13th century onwards.

A prominent figure bearing the Mains surname was Sir William Mains of Caldwell (c.1560-1635), a Scottish landowner and politician who served as a Lord of Parliament during the reign of King James VI. Another notable individual was John Mains (1693-1753), a Scottish minister and theologian who was a prominent figure in the Church of Scotland during the 18th century.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Mains surname was also found in various parts of England, particularly in the northern counties, indicating that some Scottish Mains families had migrated across the border. One example is Thomas Mains (c.1600-1663), an English clergyman who served as the Rector of Stratford-upon-Avon and was acquainted with the famous playwright William Shakespeare.

The surname Mains has also been associated with several place names in Scotland, such as Mainhill in Lanarkshire and Mains of Errol in Perthshire. These place names likely originated from the presence of a significant "mains" or home farm in those areas.

Other notable individuals with the Mains surname include Sir John Mains (1719-1784), a Scottish merchant and politician who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh, and James Mains (1834-1906), a Scottish-born Australian politician and businessman who was active in the colony of New South Wales in the late 19th century.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mains families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mains 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 138 Mains' recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.91x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 138 8.91x
Northumberland 65 9.12x
Durham 62 4.35x
Lancashire 38 0.67x
Renfrewshire 30 8.08x
Ayrshire 24 6.70x
Angus 23 5.18x
Midlothian 18 2.81x
Argyllshire 14 10.50x
Stirlingshire 12 6.79x
Northamptonshire 11 2.44x
Dunbartonshire 10 7.77x
Surrey 10 0.43x
Cumberland 6 1.46x
Middlesex 6 0.13x
Pembrokeshire 4 2.63x
Buteshire 3 10.34x
West Lothian 3 4.16x
Berkshire 2 0.56x
Hampshire 2 0.20x
Kent 2 0.12x
Sussex 2 0.25x
Aberdeenshire 1 0.23x
Bedfordshire 1 0.40x
Glamorgan 1 0.12x
Norfolk 1 0.14x
Perthshire 1 0.47x
Royal Navy 1 1.75x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Glasgow in Lanarkshire leads with 35 Mains' recorded in 1881 and an index of 12.73x.

Place Total Index
Glasgow 35 12.73x
Barony 27 6.89x
Govan 26 6.79x
Dundee 22 13.28x
Cambusnethan 21 61.05x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 14 5.42x
Gateshead 12 11.25x
Stirling 12 53.88x
Middleton In Oldham 11 64.55x
Auckinleck 10 90.09x
Blantyre 10 62.00x
Campbeltown 10 62.19x
Houston Killallan 10 278.55x
Cambuslang 9 57.62x
Elswick 9 15.82x
Halton 9 11250.00x
Kilwinning 9 77.79x
Wylam 9 573.25x
Crook Billy Row 8 43.84x
Holmside 8 227.92x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 8 18.80x
Newton In Makerfield 8 45.98x
Warrington 8 11.87x
West Greenock 8 12.01x
Bermondsey 7 4.91x
Byker 7 19.87x
Cumbernauld 7 99.29x
Whitworth 7 67.11x
Chirton 6 37.20x
Liverpool 6 1.74x
Monkseaton 6 750.00x
Northampton St Sepulchre 6 26.18x
Stockton On Tees 6 8.73x
Winlaton 6 43.89x
Conside Knitsley 5 45.13x
Northampton Priory St 5 18.50x
Angle 4 533.33x
Anick Grange 4 4000.00x
Dunoon Kilmun 4 38.46x
Gorbals 4 43.53x
Hamilton 4 9.26x
Hornsey 4 6.60x
Mearns 4 61.54x
Wingate 4 40.94x
Chester Le Street 3 27.42x
Edinburgh St Stephens 3 23.75x
Middle Greenock 3 29.62x
Pennington In Leigh 3 27.52x
Rothesay 3 21.35x
St Quivox 3 24.75x
Whitburn 3 28.79x
Bonhill 2 9.68x
Brighton 2 1.23x
Cramlington 2 21.23x
Dover St Mary Virgin 2 12.64x
Low Bolton 2 190.48x
Manchester 2 0.78x
Paisley High Church 2 6.77x
Port Glasgow 2 11.15x
Tanfield 2 11.81x
Tilehurst 2 27.55x
Allendale 1 15.13x
Avondale 1 11.04x
Bow London 1 1.64x
Crosscanonby 1 7.33x
Dalziel 1 6.00x
Eastwood 1 4.37x
Elvet 1 9.72x
Jesmond 1 9.97x
Kirkintilloch 1 5.72x
Lambeth 1 0.24x
Newcastle On Tyne St 1 2.71x
Newton On Ayr 1 9.31x
Norwich St Michael At 1 23.42x
Penrith 1 6.57x
Rattray 1 20.00x
Southwark St Olave 1 27.32x
Southwark St Saviour 1 4.06x
Stanwix 1 29.94x
Westminster St 1 5.66x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 20
Jane 8
Sarah 8
Ann 7
Elizabeth 7
Catherine 4
Eliza 4
Isabella 4
Margaret 4
Alice 3
Ellen 3
Annie 2
Edith 2
Emily 2
Emma 2
Hannah 2
Janetta 2
M. 2
B.A. 1
Barbra 1
Chistiana 1
Coralan 1
Dorothy 1
E.Annie 1
E.C. 1
Ethel 1
Fanny 1
Florence 1
Gertrude 1
Grace 1
Henrietta 1
Kate 1
Lizzie 1
M.Ann 1
M.J. 1
Maria 1
Martha 1
Meria 1
Minnie 1
Susan 1
Thomason 1
Violet 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 21
Robert 14
William 13
James 8
Joseph 6
Thomas 6
George 3
Samuel 3
Wm. 3
Charles 2
Henry 2
Patrick 2
Richard 2
Thos. 2
Albert 1
Alexander 1
David 1
Edward 1
Ellis 1
Frederick 1
Fredrick 1
Geo. 1
Isaac 1
J. 1
Jas. 1
Jno. 1
Richd. 1
Robt. 1
Timothy 1

FAQ

Mains surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mains surname in 1881?

In 1881, 491 people were recorded with the Mains surname. That placed it at #6,865 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mains surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 741 in 2016. That gives Mains a modern rank of #7,368.

What does the Mains surname mean?

Derived from a Scottish place name or from the Old French demeine, meaning "of the estate" or "belonging to the lord."

What does the Mains map show?

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