NameCensus.

UK surname

Rains

An English toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a boundary or strip of land.

In the 1881 census there were 516 people recorded with the Rains surname, ranking it #6,607 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 481, ranked #10,275, down from #6,607 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include King's Lynn and West Norfolk, East Cambridgeshire and Horsham.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Rains is 629 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 6.8%.

1881 census count

516

Ranked #6,607

Modern count

481

2016, ranked #10,275

Peak year

1901

629 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Rains had 516 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #6,607 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 481 in 2016, ranked #10,275.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 629 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Rains surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Rains surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Rains 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 451 #5,469
1861 historical 469 #5,536
1881 historical 516 #6,607
1891 historical 586 #6,517
1901 historical 629 #6,809
1911 historical 626 #6,620
1997 modern 491 #9,425
1998 modern 506 #9,501
1999 modern 499 #9,674
2000 modern 480 #9,932
2001 modern 473 #9,862
2002 modern 488 #9,802
2003 modern 481 #9,770
2004 modern 463 #10,074
2005 modern 459 #10,053
2006 modern 459 #10,088
2007 modern 457 #10,205
2008 modern 452 #10,369
2009 modern 461 #10,462
2010 modern 475 #10,445
2011 modern 480 #10,267
2012 modern 465 #10,422
2013 modern 473 #10,436
2014 modern 483 #10,354
2015 modern 478 #10,343
2016 modern 481 #10,275

Geography

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Where Rains' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff, London parishes, Manchester, Youlgrave and Kettering. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to King's Lynn and West Norfolk, East Cambridgeshire, Horsham and Derbyshire Dales. 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 Bristol City: St Mary Redcliff Gloucestershire
2 London parishes London 3
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Youlgrave Derbyshire
5 Kettering Northamptonshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 King's Lynn and West Norfolk 018 King's Lynn and West Norfolk
2 East Cambridgeshire 003 East Cambridgeshire
3 Horsham 011 Horsham
4 East Cambridgeshire 001 East Cambridgeshire
5 Derbyshire Dales 006 Derbyshire Dales

Forenames

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First names often paired with Rains

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Rains

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

Rains is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Rains 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 Rains 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 Rains, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Rains

The surname Rains is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "regn" meaning "rain" or "rainy". This surname first emerged in the early medieval period, around the 11th or 12th century, and was likely a descriptive name given to someone who lived in a particularly rainy area or was associated with rain in some way.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Rains can be traced back to the 13th century in various English records and chronicles. One notable example is found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1230, which mentions a person named William Rains. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also contains references to individuals with the surname Rains, such as John le Rains and Robert Rains.

In the 14th century, the name appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire, where a Thomas Rains is listed. The Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1334 for Warwickshire also record a Richard Rains. These early records suggest that the Rains surname was well-established in various parts of England by this time.

One of the earliest known instances of the name Rains in a place name context can be found in the village of Rainhill in Merseyside, formerly known as Rainshill or Raynhill in the 13th century. This place name likely derived from the Old English words "regn" and "hyll", meaning "rainy hill".

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Rains. One example is Thomas Rains (c. 1590-1670), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Northamptonshire during the English Civil War. Another prominent figure was John Rains (1670-1744), a British naval officer who served as a captain in the Royal Navy and was involved in several battles against the French and Spanish fleets.

Other individuals with the surname Rains include Sir Gabriel Rains (1803-1881), a British military engineer and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of coastal defense systems and fortifications. James Rains (1833-1895) was an American Confederate officer during the American Civil War, serving as a brigadier general in the Army of Northern Virginia.

In more recent times, Clarence Rains (1888-1967) was an American actor who appeared in numerous films and television shows, including his notable role as Senator Fredric Munson in the classic movie "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" (1939).

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Rains families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Rains 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. Kent leads with 128 Rains' recorded in 1881 and an index of 7.56x.

County Total Index
Kent 128 7.56x
Derbyshire 98 12.61x
Lancashire 60 1.02x
Middlesex 57 1.15x
Northamptonshire 24 5.14x
Yorkshire 24 0.49x
Gloucestershire 14 1.44x
Lincolnshire 14 1.76x
Surrey 11 0.45x
Somerset 10 1.25x
Norfolk 9 1.18x
Staffordshire 9 0.54x
Sussex 9 1.08x
Nottinghamshire 7 1.05x
Cambridgeshire 5 1.59x
Cornwall 4 0.71x
Glamorgan 4 0.46x
Leicestershire 4 0.73x
Durham 3 0.20x
Hampshire 3 0.29x
Warwickshire 3 0.24x
Monmouthshire 2 0.56x
Rutland 2 5.49x
Suffolk 2 0.33x
Wiltshire 2 0.46x
Bedfordshire 1 0.39x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Winster in Derbyshire leads with 19 Rains' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1338.03x.

Place Total Index
Winster 19 1338.03x
Manchester 17 6.42x
Wye 16 610.69x
Aldwark 15 10000.00x
Kettering 15 79.41x
Eastling 14 1707.32x
Cheetham 12 27.31x
Charing 11 480.35x
Crundale 11 2340.43x
Ashover 9 232.56x
Idridgehay Alton 9 2195.12x
Moulton 9 235.60x
St Pancras London 9 2.25x
Egerton 8 540.54x
Islington London 8 1.66x
Newton 8 17.62x
Osmotherley 8 509.55x
Rainham 8 171.67x
Tutbury 8 195.60x
Whitechapel London 8 16.35x
Faversham 7 43.34x
Godmersham 7 1147.54x
Kirk Ireton 7 853.66x
Mile End Old Town 7 8.93x
St George In East 7 20.73x
Tibshelf 7 183.73x
Brassington 6 512.82x
Brighton 6 3.55x
Chorlton On Medlock 6 6.41x
Clifton 6 12.19x
Sheffield 6 3.83x
Wilne 6 337.08x
Bow London 5 7.91x
Bradfield 5 26.36x
Camberwell 5 1.58x
Kings Lynn St Margaret 5 21.82x
Kirkby In Ashfield 5 69.83x
Lynsted 5 228.31x
Northampton Priory St 5 17.84x
Wensley Snitterton 5 434.78x
Chatham 4 8.58x
Droylsden 4 20.81x
Gaywood 4 291.97x
Littleport 4 66.56x
Newcastle Higher 4 68.14x
Oldham 4 2.10x
Poplar London 4 4.27x
Westbury On Trym 4 12.12x
Abbots Leigh 3 483.87x
All Hallows Lombard 3 1034.48x
Brook 3 1500.00x
Chartham 3 71.09x
Clapham 3 4.83x
Hibaldstow 3 220.59x
Hopton 3 1428.57x
Kirk Langley 3 258.62x
Laughton En Le Morthen 3 265.49x
Leicester St Mary 3 6.74x
Lewisham 3 3.32x
Murston 3 200.00x
Patrixbourne 3 714.29x
Raunds 3 63.03x
Selling 3 215.83x
Tonbridge 3 4.91x
West Derby 3 1.74x
Bonsall 2 86.96x
Bristol St Philip Jacob 2 2.18x
Caldecott 2 400.00x
Chorlton Cum Hardy 2 51.15x
Elham 2 99.01x
Gorton 2 3.61x
Hastings St Mary 2 9.60x
Hollingbourn 2 102.04x
Kentford 2 588.24x
Locking 2 952.38x
Molash 2 350.88x
St George Martyr 2 23.89x
St Woollos 2 4.99x
Thornton In Bradford 2 12.21x
Wookey 2 113.64x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 38
John 30
George 26
Thomas 17
James 15
Henry 10
Joseph 10
Samuel 10
Robert 8
Stephen 8
Charles 7
Edward 6
Isaac 6
Alfred 5
Benjamin 5
Frederick 5
Ralph 4
Arthur 3
Walter 3
Wm. 3
Abraham 2
Albert 2
Francis 2
Frank 2
Herbert 2
Moses 2
Ambrose 1
David 1
Edmund 1
Edwin 1
Eleazer 1
Erasmus 1
Hall 1
Harry 1
Hepman 1
Lewis 1
Lionel 1
Louis 1
Oliver 1
Richard 1
Richd. 1
Rudolph 1
Saml. 1
Septimus 1
Solomon 1
Ted 1
Tom 1
Wright 1

FAQ

Rains surname: questions and answers

How common was the Rains surname in 1881?

In 1881, 516 people were recorded with the Rains surname. That placed it at #6,607 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Rains surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 481 in 2016. That gives Rains a modern rank of #10,275.

What does the Rains surname mean?

An English toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a boundary or strip of land.

What does the Rains map show?

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