2000
#739
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 42,369
First available Census row
Per 100,000 15.71
Uncommon Last name
Gaines
From a nickname for a crafty or ingenious person, derived from Old French engaine meaning "trick, stratagem, or ruse."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 48,870 Americans carry the last name Gaines. That puts it at #791 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 14.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,014 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gaines 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 Gaines with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
49K
1 in 7,014
Census rank
#791
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
14.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
43K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 42,617 bearers of the surname Gaines in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 14.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 791st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gaines, the largest self-reported group is Black at 49.2%. The next largest groups are White (40.6%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gaines
The surname Gaines originated in Normandy, a region in northern France, during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French word "gaaign," which means "gain" or "profit." The name was likely given to someone who worked as a merchant or trader, or someone who was known for their business acumen and ability to make gains.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Gaines surname dates back to the 11th century, in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The book mentions a landowner named William Gaines, who held estates in Cambridgeshire.
In the 13th century, the Gaines family was prominent in the county of Essex, England. Records show that a Sir John Gaines was a knight and landowner in the village of Great Baddow during this time period.
During the 16th century, the Gaines surname spread across England and Scotland. One notable figure was Sir Edward Gaines (1508-1558), an English politician and member of Parliament who served as Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire.
The Gaines surname also has a strong presence in Ireland, where it is often spelled "Gaine" or "Gayne." One of the earliest recorded Irish individuals with this surname was John Gaine (c. 1630-1690), a printer and bookseller in Dublin who published some of the first Irish language books.
In the United States, the Gaines surname can be traced back to the colonial era. One of the earliest American settlers with this name was John Gaines (1685-1753), a Virginia planter and landowner who served as a justice of the peace and a member of the House of Burgesses.
Another notable American with the Gaines surname was Edmund Pendleton Gaines (1777-1849), a distinguished military officer who served in the War of 1812 and the Seminole Wars. He rose to the rank of major general and was considered a hero for his defense of Fort Erie during the War of 1812.
In the 19th century, the Gaines surname was also associated with slavery and plantation ownership in the American South. John P. Gaines (1795-1857) was a wealthy plantation owner and slaveholder in Mississippi, while Myra Clark Gaines (1804-1885) was a prominent New Orleans socialite and heiress who inherited a vast fortune and fought a decades-long legal battle over her inheritance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gaines
Among Census respondents with the surname Gaines, the largest self-reported group is Black at 49.2%. The next largest groups are White (40.6%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Gaines 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 Gaines surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American49.2% · 20,976
- White40.6% · 17,316
- Two or more races5.6% · 2,384
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 1,506
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 241
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 194
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gaines
Gaines 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
#788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 43,821
+1,452 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 14.86
Rank movement Down 49 places
2020
#791
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 42,617
-1,204 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 14.26
Rank movement Down 3 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #739 | 42,369 | 15.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #788 | 43,821 | 14.86 | +1,452 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 49 places |
| 2020 | #791 | 42,617 | 14.26 | -1,204 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 3 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 Gaines 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 | #788 | #791 | -0.4% |
| Count | 43,821 | 42,617 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 14.86 | 14.26 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gaines bearers went from 43,821 to 42,617 (-2.7% change). The surname moved down 3 positions in the national ranking, going from #788 to #791.
FAQ
Gaines surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gaines?
Name Census estimates that about 48,870 living Americans carry the surname Gaines. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,014 residents.
How common is Gaines?
Gaines ranks #791 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 14.26 per 100,000 residents, which is about 14 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 42,617 people with the surname Gaines. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (48,870), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 14.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 14.26 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 14 of them to have the surname Gaines.
Has Gaines become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gaines went from 43,821 recorded bearers to 42,617. That is a decrease of 1,204 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #788 to #791.
What does the Census say about the background of Gaines?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gaines, the largest self-reported group is Black at 49.2%. The next largest groups are White (40.6%) and Two or More Races (5.6%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Gaines in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.2% (20,976 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gaines appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (49.2%), White (40.6%), Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Gaines (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 Gaines mean?
From a nickname for a crafty or ingenious person, derived from Old French engaine meaning "trick, stratagem, or ruse." 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 Gaines (14.26 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 common is the surname Gaines?
You can see how many people are called Gaines on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.