Explore the Family Name Gain
The meaning of Gain
1. English and Scottish (of Norman origin): nickname for a cunning person, from Engaine, which is based on Old French engaigne ‘ingenuity, cunning, trickery’. 2. English: habitiational name from any of various places called after the Engain family, including Colne Engaine and Gaynes Park (Essex), d’Engaine’s Farm (Cambridgeshire), and Aston Ingham (Hereford). Engaine (see 1 above) was the name of a powerful Norman family with lands in several counties. The original form of the surname has since died out, surviving as Gain and its variants. There has also been considerable confusion with Ingham. 3. French: nickname from a noun derivative of Old French gaainier ‘to obtain, gain, win’.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Gain in the United States?
The surname Gain, based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, saw a decline in popularity between 2000 and 2010. Its rank fell from 14,628 to 19,703, a change of -34.69%. The count of individuals with this surname also decreased from 1,865 to 1,367, marking a 26.7% decrease. Proportionally, the representation of this name per 100,000 people dropped from 0.69 to 0.46, a decrease of 33.33%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #14,628 | #19,703 | -34.69% |
| Count | 1,865 | 1,367 | -26.7% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.69 | 0.46 | -33.33% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Gain
In terms of ethnicity as derived from the Decennial U.S. Census data, the Gain surname showed varying trends across different ethnic identities between 2000 and 2010. The proportion of those identified as Asian/Pacific Islander stayed fairly consistent, experiencing only a slight increase of 0.35%. There was a minor decrease of -5.26% among those identifying with two or more races. Those identifying as white grew from 81.93% to 84.49%, an increase of 3.12%. Additionally, there was significant growth among Hispanics carrying the Gain surname, rising from 1.77% to 3.07%, a leap of 73.45%. Conversely, the percentage of Black individuals with this surname saw a substantial reduction of -34.48%. Lastly, there was a modest rise of 15.63% among American Indian and Alaskan Natives bearing the surname Gain.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 81.93% | 84.49% | 3.12% |
| Black | 11.05% | 7.24% | -34.48% |
| Hispanic | 1.77% | 3.07% | 73.45% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 2.84% | 2.85% | 0.35% |
| Two or More Races | 2.09% | 1.98% | -5.26% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.32% | 0.37% | 15.63% |