2000
#6,651
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,686
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.74
Rare Last name
Kain
A variant of the Scottish and Irish surname "Kane," derived from the Celtic word for "warrior" or "battler."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,310 Americans carry the last name Kain. That puts it at #6,993 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.55 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 64,549 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kain 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 Kain with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.3K
1 in 64,549
Census rank
#6,993
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,631 bearers of the surname Kain in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.55 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6993rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kain, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kain
The surname Kain has its origins in Germany, with early records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Germanic word "kahan," which means "to grumble" or "to complain." This suggests that the name may have originally been a nickname given to someone with a grumbling or discontented nature.
One of the earliest known references to the name Kain can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, Germany, dating back to the 13th century. The name appears in various spellings, such as Kayn, Kayne, and Kaine, reflecting the variations in regional dialects and scribal practices of the time.
In the 14th century, a notable figure bearing the surname Kain was Konrad Kain, a prominent merchant and businessman in the city of Augsburg, Germany. His successful trading ventures and involvement in local affairs earned him a respected reputation among his contemporaries.
The Kain surname also has ties to certain place names in Germany, such as Kainbach, a town located in the state of Bavaria. It is possible that some individuals adopted the surname based on their association with this or similar locations.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Kain in England can be traced back to the 16th century, when a man named William Kain was listed in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, in 1587.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Kain, including:
1. Johann Kain (1760-1831), an Austrian painter known for his landscape and genre paintings.
2. Heinrich Kain (1808-1868), a German mathematician and professor at the University of Giessen.
3. Johann Kain (1856-1910), an Austrian chess player and author of several chess books.
4. Otto Kain (1881-1942), a German actor and film director active during the silent film era.
5. Richard Kain (1909-1992), an American actor and screenwriter who worked in Hollywood during the mid-20th century.
While the surname Kain may not be as widespread as some others, it has a rich history spanning several centuries and countries, reflecting the diverse origins and experiences of those who have carried this name throughout generations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kain
Among Census respondents with the surname Kain, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Kain 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 Kain surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.7% · 4,106
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 176
- Two or more races3.7% · 171
- Black or African American1.9% · 86
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 72
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kain
Kain 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
#6,603
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,132
+446 bearers (+9.5%)
Per 100,000 1.74
Rank movement Up 48 places
2020
#6,993
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,631
-501 bearers (-9.8%)
Per 100,000 1.55
Rank movement Down 390 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,651 | 4,686 | 1.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,603 | 5,132 | 1.74 | +446 bearers (+9.5%) | Up 48 places |
| 2020 | #6,993 | 4,631 | 1.55 | -501 bearers (-9.8%) | Down 390 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 Kain 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 | #6,603 | #6,993 | -5.9% |
| Count | 5,132 | 4,631 | -9.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.74 | 1.55 | -11.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kain bearers went from 5,132 to 4,631 (-9.8% change). The surname moved down 390 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,603 to #6,993.
FAQ
Kain surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kain?
Name Census estimates that about 5,310 living Americans carry the surname Kain. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 64,549 residents.
How common is Kain?
Kain ranks #6,993 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.55 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 4,631 people with the surname Kain. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,310), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.55 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.55 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 Kain.
Has Kain become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kain went from 5,132 recorded bearers to 4,631. That is a decrease of 501 (-9.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,603 to #6,993.
What does the Census say about the background of Kain?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kain, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Kain in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.7% (4,106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kain appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.7%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Kain (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 Kain mean?
A variant of the Scottish and Irish surname "Kane," derived from the Celtic word for "warrior" or "battler." 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 Kain (1.55 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 Kain?
You can see how common the surname Kain is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.