Given name & surname
Cain
“craftsman”
Cain is a masculine given name from Hebrew, meaning “craftsman.”
Original Hebrewקין
Meaning & origin
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Hebrew.
The story
In biblical stories, Cain is associated with Adam and Eve's first son.
In the Bible
In the Bible, the name Cain appears in Genesis 4:1, Genesis 4:8, Genesis 4:20-21 and 5 other passages.
- Genesis 4:1
- Genesis 4:8
- Genesis 4:20-21
- Hebrews 11:4
- 1 John 3:12
- Jude 1:11
- Joshua 15:57
- Numbers 24:22
From biblical name research
Cain through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 7,628
- 7,628 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2014
- 330 babies
- 2025
- 185
- #1,142 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −16%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 185 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,142 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 16.2% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 330 in 2014. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (27). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 5,794 as a first name in 2020; 58,521 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Cain’s family of names
In English usage, Cain has a conventional equivalent in the Czech form Kain. Cain has a related form in Caine. Cain has a related form in Cayne.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Cain has relatives in 5 languages. Lines run from its Hebrew roots to each of them.
4 related names in 5 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 5
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 7
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Cain
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Cain, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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Eli
“one who has ascended; my God on high”
99% boys · 1% girls
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“mire” · “mud man”
>99% boys