Find out how popular the last name Cairns is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Cairns.

Cairns, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Cairns surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cairns in America

Cairns is the 6527th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cairns surname appeared 5,192 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Cairns.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cairns to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Cairns

The surname Cairns originated in Scotland and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic word "carn," which means "a cairn" or a pile of stones used as a memorial or landmark.

The name is believed to have been initially adopted by people who lived near or were associated with a prominent cairn. The earliest recorded spelling of the name is "de Cairns," which appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a record of Scottish nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England.

One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname Cairns was William de Cairns, a Scottish landowner who lived in the late 13th century. He was mentioned in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1288.

In the 16th century, the name appeared in various spellings, such as "Cairne," "Cairnes," and "Kairns," reflecting the diverse regional pronunciations and orthographic conventions of the time.

One notable bearer of the surname was John Cairns (1818-1892), a Scottish philosopher and theologian who served as the Principal of the United Presbyterian Church's theological college in Edinburgh.

Another prominent figure was Sir Hugh Cairns (1896-1952), a renowned British neurosurgeon who made significant contributions to the treatment of head injuries during World War II. He was knighted in 1949 for his services to medicine.

The Cairns name also has a connection to a place in Scotland called Cairns, located in the council area of East Ayrshire. This place likely derived its name from a prominent cairn or stone structure in the area.

Other notable individuals with the surname Cairns include:

1. David Cairns (1779-1849), a Scottish minister and author who wrote extensively on the history of the Church of Scotland.
2. Andrew Cairns (1787-1863), a Scottish-born Canadian merchant and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Council of Upper Canada.
3. William Cairns (1842-1911), a Scottish-born Canadian businessman and politician who served as a member of the Canadian House of Commons.
4. Helen Cairns (1899-1995), a British theatre director and producer who played a significant role in the development of modern British theatre.
5. John Cairns (1930-2011), a Scottish professional golfer who won the British Masters tournament in 1971.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cairns

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Cairns.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Cairns was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Cairns has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Cairns was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Cairns, please contact us.

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