Cain
A surname with more than one likely source, including Irish O'Cathain/O'Kane and, in some cases, a Norman place-name from Caen.
The #551 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 5,066 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Cain is a surname with mixed origins. In Irish usage, it can be an Anglicized form of O'Cathain, the name of an old Ulster family that also appears as O'Kane and Kane. In English records, Cain can also be a shortened or altered form connected with Norman place-names such as Caen or Cahaignes, introduced after the Norman Conquest. Because the same spelling can reflect different family lines, the surname is best treated as having several independent origins.
History
The historical record shows Cain alongside related forms such as O'Kane, Kane, Caine, and Cayne, especially in Ireland and the Isle of Man. Nineteenth-century surname writers also linked some English examples to Norman local names, showing that the spelling was adopted more than once. In modern English-speaking countries, Cain is now widespread and often impossible to assign to a single origin without family evidence.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some surname books connect Cain with the biblical name Cain, but for most families the surname is more likely to be Irish or Norman in origin than directly biblical.
From the historical record
“C»1d, Oal]ie.~(i) BapL 'the son of Kane 'or 'Cain,' a Uanx sur- name; cf. Irish O'Kane. In Manx record* It is found as HcKane (1408); HacCann (1430); Hac Cane (1511)1 Cain (isS6J; Cane”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instancesNotable people named Cain
- Herman Cain (1945–2020)
- Dean Cain (b. 1966)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.