2000
#11,405
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,534
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.94
Rare Last name
Bains
A surname of French origin referring to someone who lived near a public bath or owned one.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,424 Americans carry the last name Bains. That puts it at #8,220 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 77,476 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bains surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Bains with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.4K
1 in 77,476
Census rank
#8,220
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,858 bearers of the surname Bains in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8220th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bains, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 79.1%. The next largest groups are White (12.2%) and Black (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bains
The surname BAINS is of Anglo-Norman origin, deriving from the Old French word "bain" meaning "bath" or "bathing place". It is believed to have originated in Normandy, France during the 11th century. The name was likely initially used as a topographic surname, referring to someone who lived near a bathhouse or natural spring.
The earliest recorded instance of the BAINS surname dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "de Bains" in reference to a Norman landowner in Yorkshire, England. This suggests that the name was brought to England by Norman settlers following the Norman Conquest of 1066.
In the 12th century, the BAINS name was found in various regions of England, including Lincolnshire and Somerset. One notable bearer was William de Bains, who was recorded as holding lands in Lincolnshire in 1166.
During the 13th century, the BAINS surname began to appear in Scottish records as well. In 1296, Aleyn de Bayns, a Scottish landowner, swore fealty to King Edward I of England, indicating the presence of the name in Scotland at that time.
One of the earliest known bearers of the BAINS surname was Sir Walter de Baines, a 14th-century English knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War against France. He was born around 1320 and died in 1386.
In the 16th century, the BAINS surname was associated with the village of Baines in Haddingtonshire, Scotland. John Bains, born in 1520, was a prominent Scottish scholar and author who served as a professor at the University of St. Andrews.
Another notable bearer was Sir James Baines, an English politician and lawyer who lived from 1600 to 1679. He served as a Member of Parliament and was knighted for his services to the Crown.
In the 18th century, Edward Baines (1774-1848) was a renowned English reformer, journalist, and politician. He founded the Leeds Mercury newspaper and campaigned for social and political reforms.
Additionally, Thomas Baines (1822-1875) was a British artist and explorer who traveled extensively in Southern Africa and documented his journeys through paintings and writings.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bains
Among Census respondents with the surname Bains, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 79.1%. The next largest groups are White (12.2%) and Black (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Bains bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Bains surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander79.1% · 3,050
- White12.2% · 471
- Black or African American4.1% · 157
- Two or more races2.4% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 74
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bains
Bains appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#9,621
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,377
+843 bearers (+33.3%)
Per 100,000 1.14
Rank movement Up 1,784 places
2020
#8,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,858
+481 bearers (+14.2%)
Per 100,000 1.29
Rank movement Up 1,401 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,405 | 2,534 | 0.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,621 | 3,377 | 1.14 | +843 bearers (+33.3%) | Up 1,784 places |
| 2020 | #8,220 | 3,858 | 1.29 | +481 bearers (+14.2%) | Up 1,401 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Bains surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #9,621 | #8,220 | 14.6% |
| Count | 3,377 | 3,858 | 14.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.14 | 1.29 | 13.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bains bearers went from 3,377 to 3,858 (+14.2% change). The surname moved up 1,401 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,621 to #8,220.
FAQ
Bains surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bains?
Name Census estimates that about 4,424 living Americans carry the surname Bains. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 77,476 residents.
How common is Bains?
Bains ranks #8,220 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.29 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,858 people with the surname Bains. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,424), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.29 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Bains.
Has Bains become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bains went from 3,377 recorded bearers to 3,858. That is an increase of 481 (+14.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,621 to #8,220.
What does the Census say about the background of Bains?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bains, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 79.1%. The next largest groups are White (12.2%) and Black (4.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Bains in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.1% (3,050 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bains appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (79.1%), White (12.2%), Black (4.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Bains (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Bains mean?
A surname of French origin referring to someone who lived near a public bath or owned one. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Bains (1.29 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Bains?
See how many people have the last name Bains on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.