Kain
Derived from the Biblical name Cain, meaning "spear" or "acquisition".
Name Census estimates that about 3,609 living Americans carry the first name Kain. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kain today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kain births was 2016 (180 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kain. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Kain with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Kain is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 17 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
3.6K
~ 1 in 94,972 Americans
Peak year
2016
180 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,578
Tracked since 1973
Census
Kain in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 2,812 people with the first name Kain, which placed it at #5,894 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#5,894
National first-name rank
People counted
2.8K
2,812 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.9
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
58.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kain
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kain is White at 58.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (23.5%) and Two or More Races (7.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Kain described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Kain at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White58.2% · 1,637
- Hispanic or Latino23.5% · 662
- Two or more races7.6% · 213
- Black or African American5.7% · 159
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.2% · 89
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 52
Popularity
Kain: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kain from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 1,417 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Kain remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kain by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Kain during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kains live
The SSA's state-level files cover 26 states and territories. California, Texas, Ohio recorded the most babies named Kain, while Oregon, Mississippi, Kentucky recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 66 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kain
The given name Kain originated from the Hebrew language and culture, with its earliest known roots tracing back to the Biblical era. It is derived from the Hebrew word "qayin," which means "acquired" or "possession." The name gained prominence through its association with the biblical figure Cain, the firstborn son of Adam and Eve, as mentioned in the Book of Genesis.
In the biblical narrative, Cain was the first human born and the first murderer, having killed his younger brother Abel out of jealousy and anger. This tragic story has given the name Kain a somewhat ominous connotation in some cultures, symbolizing envy, resentment, and violence.
Despite its Biblical origins, the name Kain has been adopted across various cultures and time periods. One notable example is Cain, a character in John Milton's epic poem "Paradise Lost," published in 1667. In this work, Milton explores the biblical story of Cain and his subsequent banishment, adding depth and complexity to the character's portrayal.
Moving forward in history, one of the earliest recorded individuals bearing the name Kain was Cain Marcius, a Roman senator who lived in the 1st century BC. He is mentioned in the writings of the ancient Roman historian Livy.
In the 12th century, Cain Renault, a French knight and crusader, gained recognition for his participation in the Third Crusade alongside King Richard the Lionheart. He is mentioned in various chronicles and accounts of the era.
Fast forward to the 16th century, Cain Calvert was an English explorer and colonist who played a significant role in the early settlement of the British colonies in North America. He is remembered for his efforts in establishing the colony of Newfoundland in 1610.
In the realm of literature, Cain Mutiny was a notable 19th-century American author and poet. Born in 1825, he is best known for his poems exploring themes of nature, love, and the human condition.
Finally, in more recent history, Cain Velasquez is a former professional mixed martial artist and wrestler. Born in 1982, he is a two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion and is widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweights in the sport's history.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the name Kain throughout history, each leaving their mark in various fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of this name's legacy.
People
Kain + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kain as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kain: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kain?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3,609 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kain going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 94,972 US residents.
Is Kain a common name?
We classify Kain as "Rare". It ranks above 95.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 3,655 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kain most popular?
The single biggest year for Kain was 2016, when 180 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kain is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kain in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 2,812 people with the name Kain, or 0.93 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #5,894 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Kain in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Kain?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kain leans strongly male. 2,756 people counted with this name were male (98.1%), compared with 52 female bearers (1.9%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Kain?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kain is White at 58.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (23.5%) and Two or More Races (7.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Kain most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Kain in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.2% (1,637 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Kain in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kain a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kain in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Kain still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kain in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Kain can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have Kain as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Kain on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.