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Gain Family History

Gain Name Meaning

English and Scottish (of Norman origin): nickname for a cunning person from Engaine which is based on Old French engaigne ‘ingenuity cunning trickery’. 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 . French: nickname from a noun derivative of Old French gaainier ‘to obtain gain win’.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Dain, Rain, Wain, Gin, Lain, Gains, Gail, Cain, Fain, Gavin

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Where is the Gain family from?

You can see how Gain families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Gain family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Gain families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 92 Gain families living in Sussex. This was about 28% of all the recorded Gain's in United Kingdom. Sussex had the highest population of Gain families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Gain surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Gain ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Gain. 19% of Gain men worked as a General Labourer and 80% of Gain women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Gain were Builders Labourer and Domestic Duties. .

View Census Data for Gain | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • General Labourer
    19%
  • Solicitor
    10%
  • Gardener
    10%
  • Builders Labourer
    10%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    80%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    4%
  • Private Means
    3%
  • Domestic Duties
    3%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Gain family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 19,000 census records available for the last name Gain. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Gain census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Gain

Passenger Lists

There are 3,000 immigration records available for the last name Gain. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Cards

There are 8,000 military records available for the last name Gain. For the veterans among your Gain ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Gain lifespan?

Between 1946 and 2004, in the United States, Gain life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1959, and highest in 1964. The average life expectancy for Gain in 1946 was 52, and 79 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Gain

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