NameCensus.

UK surname

Pain

A French surname derived from the word "payne" meaning peasant or villager.

In the 1881 census there were 2,705 people recorded with the Pain surname, ranking it #1,646 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,975, ranked #3,258, down from #1,646 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St Pancras and Dover St James, Dover St Mary. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include New Forest, Middlesbrough and Winchester.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Pain is 4,027 in 1851. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 27.0%.

1881 census count

2,705

Ranked #1,646

Modern count

1,975

2016, ranked #3,258

Peak year

1851

4,027 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Pain had 2,705 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,646 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,975 in 2016, ranked #3,258.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 4,027 in 1851.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Pain surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Pain surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Pain 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 4,027 #706
1861 historical 2,732 #1,075
1881 historical 2,705 #1,646
1891 historical 2,679 #1,775
1901 historical 2,681 #2,062
1911 historical 2,863 #1,817
1997 modern 2,164 #2,862
1998 modern 2,282 #2,829
1999 modern 2,290 #2,843
2000 modern 2,284 #2,826
2001 modern 2,194 #2,875
2002 modern 2,161 #2,971
2003 modern 2,097 #2,986
2004 modern 2,087 #3,009
2005 modern 1,973 #3,119
2006 modern 1,973 #3,134
2007 modern 2,000 #3,130
2008 modern 1,986 #3,165
2009 modern 2,056 #3,142
2010 modern 2,064 #3,192
2011 modern 2,049 #3,175
2012 modern 2,029 #3,154
2013 modern 2,022 #3,215
2014 modern 2,051 #3,198
2015 modern 2,009 #3,226
2016 modern 1,975 #3,258

Geography

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Where Pains are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, St Pancras, Dover St James, Dover St Mary and Lambeth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to New Forest, Middlesbrough, Winchester, Hastings and Stroud. 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 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 St Pancras London (North Districts)
4 Dover St James, Dover St Mary Kent
5 Lambeth London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 New Forest 001 New Forest
2 Middlesbrough 004 Middlesbrough
3 Winchester 006 Winchester
4 Hastings 002 Hastings
5 Stroud 012 Stroud

Forenames

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First names often paired with Pain

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Pain

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Pain, 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 Pain surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Pain 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

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Pain is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Pain is most concentrated in decile 3 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Pain falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

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

Meaning and origin of Pain

The surname PAIN has its origins in medieval France, tracing back to the 11th and 12th centuries. It is derived from the Old French word "peine," which means "suffering" or "hardship." The name was likely used as a descriptive surname for someone who endured great hardship or physical pain in their life.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the PAIN surname can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholders and their properties compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. The Domesday Book mentions a landowner named William Pain in the county of Gloucestershire, England.

The PAIN surname has a strong presence in the historical records of Normandy, France, where it is believed to have originated. In the 13th century, a notable individual named Raoul Pain was a knight and vassal of the Count of Anjou. Another early bearer of the name was Jacques Pain, a French merchant and trader who lived in the 14th century.

During the Middle Ages, the PAIN surname also spread to other parts of Europe, including England and Germany. In England, one of the earliest recorded instances was Robert Pain, born in 1215 in Wiltshire. He was a member of the gentry and held land in the village of Poulton.

Another notable figure was Sir Thomas Pain, a 15th-century English soldier and landowner who fought in the Wars of the Roses. He was born in 1435 in Somerset and served under King Edward IV.

In the 16th century, the PAIN surname gained prominence in France with Jean Pain, a prominent French humanist scholar and writer born in 1532 in Anjou. He authored several influential works on philosophy and literature.

Over the centuries, the PAIN surname has also been associated with various place names and locations, such as Painsbill in Gloucestershire, England, and Painswick, a village in the same county. These place names likely derived from individuals with the PAIN surname who were landowners or prominent figures in those areas.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Pain families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Pain 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. Middlesex leads with 554 Pains recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.11x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 554 2.11x
Kent 434 4.85x
Surrey 343 2.68x
Hampshire 176 3.27x
Somerset 143 3.38x
Essex 112 2.16x
Sussex 110 2.49x
Gloucestershire 71 1.38x
Cambridgeshire 62 3.73x
Northamptonshire 55 2.23x
Devon 54 0.99x
Oxfordshire 51 3.15x
Wiltshire 49 2.11x
Suffolk 40 1.25x
Norfolk 39 0.97x
Lancashire 34 0.11x
Hertfordshire 32 1.77x
Yorkshire 28 0.11x
Bedfordshire 27 1.99x
Buckinghamshire 27 1.70x
Warwickshire 27 0.41x
Staffordshire 23 0.26x
Shropshire 21 0.93x
Worcestershire 18 0.53x
Durham 17 0.22x
Monmouthshire 15 0.79x
Berkshire 13 0.66x
Cheshire 12 0.21x
Dorset 12 0.70x
Glamorgan 11 0.24x
Herefordshire 11 1.02x
Nottinghamshire 9 0.25x
Cornwall 8 0.27x
Cumberland 8 0.35x
Huntingdonshire 7 1.34x
Ayrshire 5 0.25x
Channel Islands 5 0.64x
Leicestershire 5 0.17x
Lincolnshire 5 0.12x
Lanarkshire 4 0.05x
Wigtownshire 4 1.15x
Rutland 3 1.56x
Royal Navy 2 0.64x
Brecknockshire 1 0.19x
Derbyshire 1 0.02x
Dumfriesshire 1 0.17x
Midlothian 1 0.03x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. St Pancras London in Middlesex leads with 82 Pains recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.88x.

Place Total Index
St Pancras London 82 3.88x
Camberwell 60 3.58x
Lambeth 59 2.58x
Hackney London 50 3.40x
Islington London 39 1.53x
Dover St Mary Virgin 35 40.38x
Newington 35 3.61x
Deal 31 40.58x
Margate St John Baptist 31 18.90x
Folkestone 30 17.27x
Eastbourne 29 14.24x
West Ham 29 2.53x
St Marylebone London 28 2.00x
Shoreditch London 27 2.37x
Kensington London 25 1.71x
Stoke Damerel 25 6.54x
Clerkenwell London 24 3.87x
Southwark St George Martyr 24 4.54x
St Luke London 21 4.99x
Brading 20 27.97x
Bromley London 20 3.46x
Deptford St Paul 19 2.75x
Weston Super Mare 19 17.81x
Aston 18 0.99x
Bethnal Green London 18 1.58x
Frimley 18 49.40x
Timsbury 18 140.63x
Bow London 17 5.09x
Cannington 17 135.46x
Wimbledon 17 11.84x
Charlton 16 26.90x
Clifton 15 5.76x
Hammersmith London 15 2.32x
Poplar London 15 3.03x
St Peters 15 36.21x
Battersea 14 1.45x
Chertsey 14 16.94x
Harpole 14 187.42x
Hastings St Clement 14 33.61x
Hastings St Mary In The 14 14.83x
Willesden 14 5.66x
Beccles 13 25.26x
Eastling 13 300.93x
Ewell Lydden 13 186.51x
St George Hanover 13 3.79x
Bishopwearmouth 12 1.79x
Buckland In Dover 12 40.43x
Dartford 12 13.10x
Littleport 12 37.78x
St George In East 12 6.72x
Swindon 12 6.66x
West Somerton 12 571.43x
Bridgewater 11 9.59x
Christchurch 11 9.43x
Greenwich 11 2.63x
Hastings All Sts 11 26.38x
Hatfield Broad Oak 11 62.89x
Hougham 11 20.65x
Kidlington 11 87.72x
Lewisham 11 2.30x
Micheldever 11 117.65x
Mile End Old Town 11 2.65x
Mortlake 11 19.30x
Plumstead 11 3.68x
Southwark St Saviour 11 8.15x
Toxteth Park 11 1.04x
Weeke 11 67.48x
Bedminster 10 2.52x
Bentley 10 157.98x
East Stratton 10 326.80x
Goodworth Clatford 10 221.73x
Kings Sutton 10 91.16x
Mitcham 10 12.37x
South Weald 10 22.53x
St Andrewthe Great 10 46.53x
St Andrewthe Less 10 5.26x
Wembdon 10 80.00x
Herne 9 22.70x
Holy Trinity Cambridge 9 49.89x
St Albans St Peter 9 14.74x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 162
Elizabeth 91
Sarah 79
Ellen 50
Emily 49
Eliza 45
Ann 41
Alice 35
Emma 35
Jane 35
Florence 29
Annie 22
Louisa 21
Catherine 20
Edith 20
Ada 18
Caroline 18
Fanny 15
Harriet 15
Maria 15
Clara 14
Frances 14
Hannah 14
Agnes 13
Lucy 13
Margaret 13
Rebecca 13
Charlotte 12
Harriett 12
Susan 12
Amelia 10
Martha 10
Minnie 10
Rose 10
Amy 9
Anne 9
Matilda 9
Sophia 9
Helen 8
Kate 8
Rachel 8
Susannah 8
Ethel 7
Jessie 7
Eleanor 6
Esther 6
Gertrude 6
Julia 6
Francis 5
Rosa 5

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 177
John 128
George 101
James 89
Thomas 82
Henry 73
Charles 72
Edward 40
Walter 36
Frederick 33
Alfred 28
Arthur 28
Richard 25
Robert 24
Joseph 21
Albert 20
Frank 18
Samuel 16
Edwin 15
Ernest 15
Harry 14
Francis 12
Stephen 10
Percy 9
Sidney 8
Alexander 7
Herbert 6
Thos. 6
Wm. 6
Edmund 5
Isaac 5
W. 5
Fredk. 4
Geo. 4
Henery 4
Lewis 4
Aaron 3
Benjamin 3
Chas. 3
Daniel 3
David 3
Edgar 3
Eli 3
Fred 3
Fredrick 3
Harold 3
Leonard 3
Luke 3
Mark 3
Phillip 3

FAQ

Pain surname: questions and answers

How common was the Pain surname in 1881?

In 1881, 2,705 people were recorded with the Pain surname. That placed it at #1,646 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Pain surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,975 in 2016. That gives Pain a modern rank of #3,258.

What does the Pain surname mean?

A French surname derived from the word "payne" meaning peasant or villager.

What does the Pain map show?

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