The Cairns surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 5,192 people carried this name — #6,527 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 56,800 people counted. About the same as in 2000 (5,213).

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Where the name comes from

The origin of the Cairns surname

A surname from Scots or Irish; variant forms Carnes, Carns.

As a Scottish surname, from Scots cairn, describing a manmade heap or mound of stones.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Cairns» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 44 births for the Cairns name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 2,000 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. One of them was indexed under another spelling of the name. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Antrim, Down, and Armagh.”

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 39
Leinster 3
Connacht 1
Munster 1

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Cairns was found among the farmers of Northumberland: 18 in every 10,000.

Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Northumberland 18

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In Scotland, 1880s

Cairns was 10 in every 10,000 names in Scotland.

That is about 1 in 1,000. Its home there, in Guppy’s words: “South of the Forth and the Clyde.” He counted the more than 20,000 names in Halliburton’s County Directory of Scotland, taking Scotland as a whole, and listed only the names that reached 10 in every 10,000.

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), appendix: alphabetical list of the most frequent Scottish names, p. 587 — public domain · names in Halliburton’s County Directory of Scotland, per 10,000 for the whole country.

In Scotland’s registers today

Cairns was recorded 155 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 147th most common name in those registers. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 298. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In print

Cairns in American newspapers,
1889–1919.

Newspaper page from The Independent-reporter carrying the name Cairns
The Independent-reporter 1919-03-27
Newspaper page from The Weekly Tribune And The Cape County Herald carrying the name Cairns
The Weekly Tribune And The Cape County Herald 1915-09-10
Newspaper page from The Florida Agriculturist carrying the name Cairns
The Florida Agriculturist 1889-04-10

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 1,610 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Cairns in Australian newspapers,
1830s–2000s.

51,313 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Cairns. The most, 10,289, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Queensland, at 2.1 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Queensland 20,840
Victoria 12,963
New South Wales 7,362
Western Australia 3,572
South Australia 3,036
Tasmania 2,767
ACT (Canberra) 622
Northern Territory 20

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Cairns.

Who carried it

People named Cairns,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Sibilla Cairns d. 1650
  • William Cairns d. 1650
  • William Cairns d. 1775
  • Agnes Gregg d. 1785
  • Rosanna Cairns d. 1866
  • Hugh Cairns d. 1858

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Cairns,
in the records of 7 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States1,353 records

1,353 records of the Cairns name in the United States
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 433
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 285
  • Other U.S. records 635
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record John H. Cairns

    Born 1913 in New York. Enlisted 1942 at Camp Upton Yaphank; yardman from Kings County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1971, buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Robert Alexander Cairns

    Born 1931; from Highland, California. U.S. Air Force; died in an accident 1966 in Offshore, South Vietnam. Buried at Santa Fe National Cemetery, New Mexico.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Elizabeth Cairns

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Furnessia from Glasgow and Londonderry, aged 21; servant. From Antrim, Ireland; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 1,353 records for Cairns in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia1,795 records

1,795 records of the Cairns name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 800
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 354
  • Other Australian records 641
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Mary Ann Cairns

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Garland Grove, sailing from London in 1841. Native of Berwick upon Tweed, Northumberland. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1847.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record James Cairns

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Lady Nugent, sailing from London in 1836. Native of Glasgow, Lanarkshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1842.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Robert Cairns

    Arrived in Victoria in 1856 aboard the Royal Charter, aged 30; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 1,795 records for Cairns in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

United Kingdom197 records

197 records of the Cairns name in the United Kingdom
  • Stirling Council burial records 124
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 58
  • Other British records 15
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Alexander Cairns

    Buried in 1964 at Callander Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 62.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Josephine Percy Cairns

    Will proved in 1930; of Clevedon, Somerset.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record William Anderson Cairns

    Born 1892. Died 1918. Named in the University of Edinburgh roll of honour, 1914-1919.

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)

Showing 3 of 197 records for Cairns in the United Kingdom.

Counts: Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Canada173 records

173 records of the Cairns name in Canada
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 52
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 41
  • Other Canadian records 80
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record R't Cairns

    Came to Ontario in 1873 aboard the St. Patrick, landing at Quebec, bound for St. Mary's, Ontario; Scotch.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Norman M. Cairns

    Died 1977, aged 54; buried at Transcona Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Arthur Guy Cairns

    Died 1911 in Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 173 records for Cairns in Canada.

Counts: City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

New Zealand77 records

77 records of the Cairns name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 63
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 10
  • Other New Zealand records 4
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Thomas Hope Cairns

    Died 1981, aged 72; buried at Memorial Park Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Sadie Cairns

    Died 1996, aged 79; buried at Fairhall Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record George Henderson Cairns

    Buried in 1955 at Omahu Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 69.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 77 records for Cairns in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France2 records

2 records of the Cairns name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Martin Sidney Cairns

    Born 1977 in Great Britain; died 1999 in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (Haute-Savoie).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Veronica Cairns

    Born 1932 in Great Britain; died 1997 in Dijon (Côte-d'Or).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Netherlands2 records

2 records of the Cairns name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 1
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 1
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Joseph Cairns

    Died 1895 in Dordrecht, aged 35.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Archief Rivierenland (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Mary May Cairns

    In a population register.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Cairns.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Cairns is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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