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Show ContentsCain History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Cain Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Cain

What does the name Cain mean?

Today's Irish surnames are underpinned by a multitude of rich histories. The name Cain originally appeared in Gaelic as Ó Cathain.

Early Origins of the Cain family

The surname Cain was first found in Derry, where the name literally meant 'Cathan's Son.' "This name may be rendered 'warrior'(cath, 'a battle'). The O'Cathains, now O'Kanes, were of the race of Eoghan, who was son of Niall of the Nine Hostages, Monarch of Ireland, who died A.D. 406." 1

Saint Cainner or Cannera (d. 530?), appears in the martyrology of Tamlacht and other ancient lists of Irish saints on 28 Jan. "According to Colgan, she was born of noble parents in the district of Bentraighe (Bantry) in South Munster. " 2

We would be remiss if we did not mention the English and Welsh origins of the name. In England, Yorkshire was a popular location for the family. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included: Johannes Cayne, Kirkby Overblow; and Johannes Cayne, Knaresborough. 3

"Mauritius de Cadomo held lands in Barony, Devonshire, in 1083. William de Cadomo occurs in Norfolk, Walter de Cadomo in Norfolk, holding great estates, 1086. Renebald de Caen occurs in 1130 (Rot. Pip.). The family of De Caen, Caan, &c., is often mentioned later. In Normandy it occurs in the 12th cent. very frequently." 4

In Wales, "Rhys Cain (16th cent.), was a Welsh poet of the latter part of the sixteenth century, born at Trawsfynydd in Merionethshire, a village on the river Cain, whence he took his surname." 2

Early History of the Cain family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cain research. Another 147 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1196 and 1672 are included under the topic Early Cain History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cain Spelling Variations

The Middle Ages saw a great number of spelling variations for surnames common to the Irish landscape. One reason for these variations is the fact that surnames were not rigidly fixed by this period. The following variations for the name Cain were encountered in the archives: Cain, Caine, Kane, Kain, Cahan, O'Cahan, Kean, Keane, O'Keane, Ceane, Cean, Kahan, O'Kean, O'Kane, O'Kaine, Kaine, Keann, Cainn, Cainne, Kainn, Cahann, O'Cain and many more.

Early Notables of the Cain family

Another 42 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cain Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cain World Ranking

In the United States, the name Cain is the 486th most popular surname with an estimated 59,688 people with that name. 5 However, in Australia, the name Cain is ranked the 682nd most popular surname with an estimated 5,754 people with that name. 6 And in the United Kingdom, the name Cain is the 840th popular surname with an estimated 8,069 people with that name. 7

Cain migration to the United States +

In the 19th century, thousands of Irish left their English-occupied homeland for North America. Like most new world settlers, the Irish initially settled on the eastern shores of the continent but began to move westward with the promise of owning land. The height of this Irish migration came during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. With apparently nothing to lose, Irish people left on ships bound for North America and Australia. Unfortunately a great many of these passengers lost their lives - the only thing many had left - to disease, starvation, and accidents during the long and dangerous journey. Those who did safely arrive in "the land of opportunities" were often used for the hard labor of building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. The Irish were critical to the quick development of the infrastructure of the United States and Canada. Passenger and immigration lists indicate that members of the Cain family came to North America quite early:

Cain Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Christopher Cain or Cayne who settled in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1639, died in 1653, he had two sons, Jonathon and Nathaniel
  • Claes Jansz Cain, who landed in New York in 1647 8
  • Charles Cain, who settled in Virginia in 1654
Cain Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Thomas Cain, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1763 8
  • Peter Cain, who landed in North Carolina in 1764 8
  • Ernst Cain, who landed in America in 1780 8
Cain Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Andrew Cain, who arrived in America in 1803 8
  • Robert Cain, who arrived in America in 1805 8
  • Michael Cain, who landed in America in 1808-1809 8
  • Percival Cain, aged 19, who arrived in New York in 1812 8
  • George Cain, aged 32, who landed in New York in 1812 8
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Cain migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Cain Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. Barnabas Cain U.E. who settled in Home District, [Niagara], Lincoln County, Ontario c. 1783 9
  • Mr. Barnabas Cain U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1783 9
  • Private Isaiah Cain U.E. (b. 1737) who settled in Yonge [Toronto], Ontario c. 1783 he enlisted in 1763 served as part of Captain Richard Rea's Company of New Yorkers from Dutchess County, he died in 1813 9
  • Mr. John Cain U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1783 9
  • Mr. John Cain U.E. who settled in Belle Vue, Beaver Harbour, Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1783 9
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Cain Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Cain migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Cain Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Daniel Cain, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" in May 1816, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
  • Mr. Thomas Cain, English convict who was convicted in Cumbria (Cumberland), England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Burrell" on 22nd July 1830, arriving in New South Wales 12
  • Mr. William Cain, British convict who was convicted in Castle Rushen, Castletown, Isle of Man for 7 years, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 27th April 1833, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 13
  • Miss Margaret Cain, English convict who was convicted in Surrey, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" on 20th June 1836, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 14
  • Mr. James Cain, English convict who was convicted in Cumbria (Cumberland), England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elphinstone" on 27th May 1837, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 15
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Cain migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Cain Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • W Cain, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1842
  • Mr. Robert Cain, British settler, as the 2nd Detachment of New Zealand Corps of Royal New Zealand Fencibles travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Minerva" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 8th October 1847 16
  • Mr. John Cain, British labourer travelling from London aboard the ship "Grasmere" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 4th May 1855 16
  • Mr. Joseph Cain, British settler travelling from Liverpool aboard the ship 'Mermaid' arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 19th October 1859 16
  • John Cain, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Mermaid" in 1859 17
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Cain (post 1700) +

  • Carl Cecil Cain (1934-2024), American basketball player, he competed in the 1956 Summer Olympics
  • Will Cain (b. 1975), born Charles Williams Cain, an American columnist, political analyst, and sports commentator, co-host of Fox & Friends Weekend on Fox News
  • Madeline A. Cain (1949-2022), American politician, Member of the Ohio House of Representatives and the first female mayor of Lakewood, Ohio
  • Herman Cain (1945-2020), American business executive, syndicated columnist, and Tea Party activist, CEO of Godfather's Pizza (1986-1996), Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City Omaha Branch (1989-1991)
  • James Mallahan Cain (1892-1977), American author and journalist
  • Matthew Thomas Cain (b. 1984), American Major League Baseball player
  • Dean George Cain (b. 1966), American actor
  • James B. Cain, American fighter pilot and flying ace in the U.S. Navy, during World War II, credited with 8½ aerial victories
  • John Cain (1931-2019), Australian politician, the 41st Premier of Victoria (1982-1990)
  • Ashley Thomas Cain (b. 1990), English footballer
  • ... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
HMS Repulse
  • Mr. Dominic Cain, British Ordinary Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 18
  • Mr. Henry Cain, British Ordinary Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 18
RMS Lusitania
  • Mr. Thomas Cain, English Fireman from Liverpool, England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking and was recovered 19
USS Indianapolis
  • Alfred Brown Cain (1913-1945), American crew member on board the ship "USS Indianapolis" when she was on a top secret trip for the first nuclear weapon, she was sunk by Japanese Navy on 30th July 1945, he was one of the many who were killed in the sinking due to exposure, dehydration, saltwater poisoning and shark attacks 20

Suggested Readings for the name Cain +

  • A History of our Cain Family of Virginia, Alabama and Tennessee.
  1. Moore, A.W., Manx Names. London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1906. Print
  2. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  4. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  5. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  6. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  7. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  8. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  9. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  10. Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
  11. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 1st March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
  12. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/burrell
  13. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
  14. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
  15. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 18th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elphinstone
  16. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  17. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 5th November 2010). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  18. HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
  19. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
  20. Final Crew List, retrieved 2021, October 30th Retrieved from https://www.ussindianapolis.com/final-crew
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