Explore the Family Name Blain
The meaning of Blain
1. Scottish: shortened form of MacBlain, a shortened form of Mac Gille Blathain ‘son of Gille Blááin’, a personal name meaning ‘servant of Saint Bláán’. Bláán, after whom Dunblane in Perthshire was named, appears in placenames in both Ireland and Scotland. 2. English: from Middle English bleyne ‘inflamed swelling on the surface of the body’, possibly a nickname for a person suffering from boils or some form of inflamation of the skin. 3. English: habitational name from Blean in Kent, named with Old English blēa (blēan oblique case) ‘course, rough ground’. 4. Altered form of French Abelin: from the personal name Abelin, a pet form of Abel. The surname Abelin is rare in France, found mainly in Charente-Maritime. 5. French: altered form of Blin, a shortened form of Belin and hence, in part, a cognate of 4 above. 6. French: habitational name from Blain, a place in Loire-Atlantique, of Gaulish origin, derived from the personal name Belenius or Blannius. This surname (in any of the three possible French senses; see also above) is also found in Haiti, where it is, however, at least in part of English origin (see 2 and 3 above). History: It was François Abelin from Bignay in Charente-Maritime, France, whose surname was altered to Blain (and also to Blin) in North America. He married Jeanne Barbier in Contrecoeur, QC, in 1681. Some characteristic forenames: French/Haitian Donat, Jacques, Michel, Cecile, Elzear, Ermite, Fernand, Gaston, Germain, Gisele, Jean Claude, Jobe.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Blain in the United States?
According to the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Blain saw a slight decline between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Blain was the 6,941st most common surname in the United States, but by 2010 it had slipped to 7,025th place, representing a drop of 1.21%. However, the actual count of people with this surname increased over the decade from 4,456 to 4,764, indicating a growth of 6.91%. The proportion of the population with the surname per 100,000 individuals also experienced a minor decrease of 1.82% from 1.65 to 1.62.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #6,941 | #7,025 | -1.21% |
| Count | 4,456 | 4,764 | 6.91% |
| Proportion per 100k | 1.65 | 1.62 | -1.82% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Blain
The Decennial U.S. Census data also provides insight into the ethnicity associated with the surname Blain. The majority of individuals with the surname identify as White, although the percentage dropped slightly from 83.60% in 2000 to 80.27% in 2010. The data shows increases in representation among Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic, Black, and American Indian/Alaskan Native ethnicities. The largest increase was seen among those who identify as Black, rising from 10.68% in 2000 to 13.29% in 2010, a change of 24.44%. There was also a small reduction in the percentage of individuals identifying as two or more races, down 4.00% from 1.75% to 1.68%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 83.6% | 80.27% | -3.98% |
| Black | 10.68% | 13.29% | 24.44% |
| Hispanic | 2.81% | 3.36% | 19.57% |
| Two or More Races | 1.75% | 1.68% | -4% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.74% | 0.82% | 10.81% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.43% | 0.59% | 37.21% |
Blain ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Blain is British & Irish, which comprises 49.3% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (25.8%) and Spanish & Portuguese (4.6%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Nigerian, Italian, Eastern European, and Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 49.3% |
| French & German | 25.8% |
| Spanish & Portuguese | 4.6% |
| Other | 20.3% |
Possible origins of the surname Blain
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Blain have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 75.00% |
| Lancashire, United Kingdom | 75.00% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 75.00% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 74.10% |
| West Yorkshire, United Kingdom | 74.10% |
What Blain haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Blain is R-CTS241, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-CTS241 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-L21 and R-Z278, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Ogilvie, Maxwell, Phelan, Mcnulty, Justice, Trimble, Mccabe, Crandall, Whitney, Fitzpatrick.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Blain surname are: H1, H, L3. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Blain have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Blain" Surname 46.9%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Acrophobia
An intense fear of heights that goes beyond the concern many people feel around significant heights.
"Blain" Surname 30.8%
23andMe Users 16.7%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Blain" Surname 12.8%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Blain" Surname 25.0%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Blain?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Blain are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition