The Kain surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 5,132 people carried this name — #6,603 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 57,500 people counted. That is up 10% from 4,686 in 2000.

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Where the name comes from

The origin of the Kain surname

A surname from Irish, variant of Kane.

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

As an English and Welsh surname

An early record he cites: Roger de Kana, Lincolnshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Kain, Kane and Kayne.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 439 · public domain.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 239 people named Kain live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 225
City of Buenos Aires 14

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In Belgium’s population register

At least 43 people named Kain live in Belgium.

Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Hainaut.

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

Where they live today

Hainaut 36
Brussels-Capital 7

Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.

In Poland’s population register

26 people named Kain have a registered home in Poland.

Of the 42 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 3 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Lower Silesian.

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

Where they live today

Lower Silesian 21
Opole 3
Lubusz 2

PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 22 people named Kain.

Most of them — 12 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 7 départements, most often Haute-Marne.

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

Where they were born

Born outside France 12
Haute-Marne 2
Moselle 2
Nord 2
Oise 1
Pas-de-Calais 1
Paris 1
Yvelines 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In the Nordic population registers

34 people named Kain is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 34

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

In print

Kain in American newspapers,
1897–1922.

Newspaper page from Toveritar carrying the name Kain
Toveritar 1922-02-21
Newspaper page from Ranche And Range carrying the name Kain
Ranche And Range 1897-12-04
Newspaper page from The Ronan Pioneer carrying the name Kain
The Ronan Pioneer 1914-12-18

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 106,255 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Kain in Australian newspapers,
1820s–1990s.

16,265 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Kain. The most, 2,827, date from the 1910s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in South Australia, at 4.3 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

South Australia 8,016
New South Wales 4,033
Victoria 2,107
Western Australia 913
Queensland 887
Tasmania 178
ACT (Canberra) 113
Northern Territory 7

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

Who carried it

People named Kain,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Lekain
    Lekain 1729–1778 · actor
  • John Joseph Kain
    John Joseph Kain 1841–1903 · Catholic priest
  • Conrad Kain
    Conrad Kain 1883–1934 · mountain guide
  • Conrad Kain
    Conrad Kain 1883–1934 · mountain guide
  • William M. Kain d. 2011 · chief executive officer
  • Charles Henri Kain d. 1913 · botanist

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 9 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Kain,
in the records of 8 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 States1,170 records

1,170 records of the Kain name in the United States
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 384
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 271
  • Other U.S. records 515
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record John R. Kain

    Born 1913 in Minnesota. Enlisted 1942 at Minneapolis; sales agent from Douglas County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1974, buried at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minnesota.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Valdemar Kain

    Born 1908 in Esthonia. Enlisted 1942 at Fort Jay Governors Island, New York; deckhand. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1963, 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)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Tera Kain

    Arrived at New York in 1904 aboard the Pretoria from Hamburg, aged 22; servant. From Hungary; bound for New York.

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

Showing 3 of 1,170 records for Kain in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia258 records

258 records of the Kain name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 112
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 48
  • Other Australian records 98
  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 Thomas Kain

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Lady Kennaway, sailing from Cork in 1834. Native of Barking, Essex. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1844.

    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 Elizabeth Kain

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Cadet, sailing from Plymouth in 1848. Native of Roscommon. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1850.

    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 Mark Kain

    Arrived in Victoria in 1855 aboard the Donald Mackay, aged 30; Irish.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 258 records for Kain in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). 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).

Germany120 records

120 records of the Kain name in Germany
  • Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919 116
  • German emigration and citizenship files 3
  • German applications to settle and marry 1
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Franz Kain

    From Bogen, Niederb. Reported dead in the Bavarian casualty list of 7 August 1915 (Pioneer Battalion No. 3).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Joseph Kain

    Left Laimgruben for Lg Wildshut, Oberösterreich, Ostermiething in 1823.

    Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek / Staatsarchiv Landshut (CC0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Josef Kain

    Naturalised in 1909.

    Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek / Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg (CC0)

Showing 3 of 120 records for Kain in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0) · Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0); Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Netherlands98 records

98 records of the Kain name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 57
  • Dutch population registers 39
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 2
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Johannes Gerardus Kain

    Born 1893 in Hoorn. Married in 1919 in Delft. Died 1952 in Rotterdam, aged 59.

    Open Archives, Westfries Archief (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Archief Delft (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Hendricus Lambertus Kain

    Born 1904 in Rotterdam. Married in 1927 in Delft.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Archief Delft (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Hendricus Kain

    Born 1851 in Hoorn. Died 1924 in Delft.

    Open Archives, Westfries Archief (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Archief Delft (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 98 records for Kain in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Canada27 records

27 records of the Kain name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 12
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 4
  • Other Canadian records 11
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Bridget Kain

    Came to Ontario in 1879 aboard the Quebec, landing at Quebec, bound for Brantford, Ontario; Irish.

    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 James Michael Kain

    Died 1981, aged 35; buried at St. Vital 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 Michael Kain

    Died 1951 in Waterville, Kings, Nova Scotia.

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

Showing 3 of 27 records for Kain in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). 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).

France10 records

10 records of the Kain 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 Franz Kain

    Born 1947 in Austria; died 1990 in Puyloubier (Bouches-du-Rhône).

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

    Born 1903 in Belgium; died 2000 in Lille (Nord).

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

    Born 1919 in Hungary; died 1993 in Lens (Pas-de-Calais).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 10 records for Kain in France.

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).

United Kingdom7 records

7 records of the Kain name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 5
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Ann Kain

    Buried in 1834 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 40.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record T. Kain

    Machine Gun Corps. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1919.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Ralph Kain

    Buried in 1814 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 40.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing 3 of 7 records for Kain in the United Kingdom.

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

Belgium1 record

1 record of the Kain name in Belgium Belgian civil registers (births, marriages, deaths)
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Pierre Kain

    Died 1910 in Gent.

    Open Archives, Archief Gent (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).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Kain.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Kain 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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