2000
#6,067
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,213
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.93
Rare Last name
Cairns
A Scottish topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a cairn or pile of stones.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,671 Americans carry the last name Cairns. That puts it at #6,575 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 60,440 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cairns 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 Cairns with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.7K
1 in 60,440
Census rank
#6,575
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,945 bearers of the surname Cairns in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6575th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cairns, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cairns
Among Census respondents with the surname Cairns, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Cairns 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 Cairns surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 4,473
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 191
- Two or more races3.8% · 190
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 53
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 33
- Black or African American0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cairns
Cairns 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
#6,527
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,192
-21 bearers (-0.4%)
Per 100,000 1.76
Rank movement Down 460 places
2020
#6,575
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,945
-247 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 1.65
Rank movement Down 48 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,067 | 5,213 | 1.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,527 | 5,192 | 1.76 | -21 bearers (-0.4%) | Down 460 places |
| 2020 | #6,575 | 4,945 | 1.65 | -247 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 48 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 Cairns 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 | #6,527 | #6,575 | -0.7% |
| Count | 5,192 | 4,945 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.76 | 1.65 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cairns bearers went from 5,192 to 4,945 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 48 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,527 to #6,575.
FAQ
Cairns surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cairns?
Name Census estimates that about 5,671 living Americans carry the surname Cairns. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 60,440 residents.
How common is Cairns?
Cairns ranks #6,575 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.65 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,945 people with the surname Cairns. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,671), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.65 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Cairns.
Has Cairns become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cairns went from 5,192 recorded bearers to 4,945. That is a decrease of 247 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,527 to #6,575.
What does the Census say about the background of Cairns?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cairns, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cairns in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (4,473 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cairns appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Cairns (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 Cairns mean?
A Scottish topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a cairn or pile of stones. 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 Cairns (1.65 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 surname Cairns?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.