Cain is a distinctive choice, ranked #1460 in 2024. Your child is likely to be the only Cain in their class.
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UK Rank 2024
#1460
US Rank #974
About the Name Cain
Cain has seen a notable decline in recent years, dropping 409 places in five years. It was most popular in 2001 at #184 — parents choosing it today are making a deliberately counter-trend decision. The name has been a consistent presence in UK records since 1996.
Cain is distinctive enough that your child will likely be the only one in both their class and their school — standing out on every register.
In the US it ranks even higher at #974, where it enjoys a particularly strong following.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Cain
Unlikely. With around 18 UK babies named Cain per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Cain in his class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Cain has been declining in UK popularity, dropping 409 places in the last five years. Its peak was #184 in 2001. Choosing it now means he is likely to be among the last of his generation with this name.
Cain is more popular in the US (#974) than in the UK (#1460). Names with strong rankings in both countries tend to have broad cross-cultural appeal, working well for international families or those with ties to both nations.
Notable people named Cain include: Cain (surname) — Cain is a surname.; Cain Seedorf — Cain Seedorf is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a right-back or right winger for Eerste Divisie club Roda JC.; LeRoy E. Cain — LeRoy Edward Cain is an American aerospace engineer who worked for NASA as a flight director, launch integration manager and deputy manager of the Space....
Cain ranks #974 in the US top 1,000 (2024). It's recognised in America but considerably more popular in the UK.
18
UK babies named Cain (2024)
< 1
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
~0.0
In a school of 600
↓ 409 places
Rank change (last 5 years)
🏫 Who else is in the room?
In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Cain
Likely around 1 other Cain in the class
UK Popularity (1996–2024)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
US Popularity (2020–2024)
Rank · SSA official data
✨ Similar names to Cain
Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story
Cain is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: Andrew Cain (boxer), English professional boxer Arthur Cain, British evolutionary biologist and ecologist Bill Cain, American playwright and Jesuit priest Bill Cain (athletic director), American college football player and athletic director Blue Cain, American basketball player Bryce Cain, American football player Briscoe Cain, American politician Carl Cain, American basketball player Chris Cain, jazz and blues guitarist Cyril Edward Cain, American educator and historian D.
LeRoy Edward Cain is an American aerospace engineer who worked for NASA as a flight director, launch integration manager and deputy manager of the Space Shuttle Program. Cain may be best known to the public from footage and documentaries showing his work as the entry flight director for STS-107, the mission that ended in the catastrophic disintegration of Space Shuttle Columbia, February 1, 2003.
Nathan Burl Cain is an American corrections officer and prison warden who currently serves as the commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Corrections and the former warden at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola in West Feliciana Parish, north of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He worked there for twenty-one years, from January 1995 until his resignation in 2016.
Harry Pulliam Cain was an American politician who served as a United States senator from Washington who served as a Republican from 1946 to 1953. Cain is mainly remembered for his conservative and often highly-controversial views as a member of the Senate and as a friend and supporter of Senator Joseph McCarthy.