Bain or Bains is an English, French, Punjabi (Jatt), and Scottish surname. It may also be a variant form of a German surname.
Origin | |
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Region of origin | England; Punjab(jat), Germany, Scotland |
There are two origins for the Northern English surname.
An English and French origin of the surname Bains is from the occupational name of an attendant of a public bath house. This name is derived from the Middle English, and Old French baine, meaning "bath".[2]
There are several other derivations of the French surname.
The Scottish surname Bain is derived from a nickname for a person with fair-hair. This name is derived from the Scottish Gaelic bàn, meaning "white", "fair". The name was common in the Scottish Highlands, and is first recorded in 1324 in Perth. The surname can also be, in some cases, a reduced form of the surname McBain.[2] The Scottish Gaelic form of the surname Bains is Bàins (masculine),[3] and Bhàin (feminine).
The name may also be a variant spelling of the north German surname Behn.[2]
The Punjabi surname Bains is common amongst Punjabi Jats, which is the name of the Jat clan.<Highland, mountainous Ben/Ban/Van/Alba, Bengal {[4][5]