Cain

maleStatistical record

What official birth registration shows about Cain: which national registrars published it, in which years, and how its recorded position changed.

No researched meaning, origin or pronunciation yet — what that means.

Cain: Recorded since 1991, it reached #149 in 2003, and it stood at #676 in 2025.

4registrars recorded it
82times a registrar ranked it
35years from first to last
#149highest recorded position
18groupings it qualifies for

Region

Falling

among boys in England and Wales · 1996–2024

View as table

England and Wales · Boys rank by year
Year	Rank
1996	#300
1997	#360
1998	#351
1999	#292
2000	#255
2001	#184
2002	#245
2003	#291
2004	#275
2005	#281
2006	#312
2007	#397
2008	#477
2009	#505
2010	#451
2011	#516
2012	#522
2013	#520
2014	#583
2015	#646
2016	#647
2017	#818
2018	#749
2019	#929
2020	#1051
2021	#1250
2022	#1314
2023	#1071
2024	#1460

VerifiedSource: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales.Confidence: high.

See all England and Wales names · Source: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales

What the data shows

FallingEngland and Wales · Boys

Recorded in official data among boys in Republic of Ireland in 26 of the 35 years from 1991 to 2025.

In 2024: #404 among boys in Northern Ireland, #619 among boys in Scotland, #785 among boys in Republic of Ireland, #1460 among boys in England and Wales.

Official data from 4 national registrars across 4 regions, 1991–2025 · Office for National Statistics. Data sources

Popularity journey

First recorded1991
First recorded at #288 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1991 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1998–2024
Highest recorded position: #149 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2003 (recorded 1998–2024).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #676 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys

Cain appears in 3 of the published lists Namewise holds. The longest record is England and Wales · Boys, with 29 ranked years and 2,092 births registered; the earliest is Republic of Ireland · Boys, from 1991.

Cain across 3 official records

Each registrar publishes its own list, so these figures are read down a row, never across one. A position in one country is not comparable with a position in another, and Namewise never combines them into a single ranking. The birth counts do not compare across rows either, for a different reason: England and Wales registers roughly thirty times as many births a year as Northern Ireland, so a larger total says which registrar recorded it as much as how widely the name was given.

Cain's first, highest and most recent recorded position in each official list, with the number of births each registrar registered with the name and its largest single year
Published list	First recorded	Highest	Most recent	Years recorded	Births registered	Most in one year
Republic of Ireland · Boys	#288 (1991)	#222 (1999)	#676 (2025)	26 of 35	158 (1991–2025)	11 (2003)
England and Wales · Boys	#300 (1996)	#184 (2001)	#1460 (2024)	29 of 29	2,092 (1996–2024)	191 (2001)
Northern Ireland · Boys	#190 (1998)	#149 (2003)	#404 (2024)	26 of 27	178 (1998–2024)	14 (2004)

Cain by decade in England and Wales · Boys

Births registered with the name in each decade of this one list, with the number of years the list covers in that decade. Bars are scaled on births a year, which is the figure that compares between decades — a decade the list only partly covers has a smaller total without being a quieter decade. Figures belong to this registrar alone and do not carry to another.

Births registered with Cain in England and Wales · Boys, by decade, with years covered and the average per year
Decade	Births registered	Years covered	A year
1990s	308	4 of 10	77
2000sbusiest	1,098	10 of 10	110
2010s	574	10 of 10	57
2020s	112	5 of 10	22

Across England and Wales · Boys, the 2000s were its busiest decade, averaging 110 births a year.

Its sharpest single-year move came between 2000 and 2001, when recorded births rose by 80, from 111 to 191.

See the names England and Waleshas recorded the most births with →

Cain appears in

Groupings this name qualifies for under their own stated rules, from the same official statistics shown above.

Popularity data

Official popularity data is available for 4 regions, from 1991 to 2025. Highest recorded position: #149 in Northern Ireland in 2004.

Cain's recorded popularity observations by year, region and administrative category, including rank, registered births, source confidence and when each region's data was last reviewed.
Year	Region	Category	Rank	Births registered	Confidence	Status
2024	England and Wales	male	#1460	18	High	Verified
2023	England and Wales	male	#1071	27	High	Verified
2022	England and Wales	male	#1314	20	High	Verified
2021	England and Wales	male	#1250	21	High	Verified
2020	England and Wales	male	#1051	26	High	Verified
2019	England and Wales	male	#929	31	High	Verified
2018	England and Wales	male	#749	44	High	Verified
2017	England and Wales	male	#818	39	High	Verified
2016	England and Wales	male	#647	54	High	Verified
2015	England and Wales	male	#646	53	High	Verified
2014	England and Wales	male	#583	61	High	Verified
2013	England and Wales	male	#520	71	High	Verified
2012	England and Wales	male	#522	71	High	Verified
2011	England and Wales	male	#516	68	High	Verified
2010	England and Wales	male	#451	82	High	Verified
2009	England and Wales	male	#505	69	High	Verified
2008	England and Wales	male	#477	74	High	Verified
2007	England and Wales	male	#397	91	High	Verified
2006	England and Wales	male	#312	112	High	Verified
2005	England and Wales	male	#281	116	High	Verified
2004	England and Wales	male	#275	115	High	Verified
2003	England and Wales	male	#291	100	High	Verified
2002	England and Wales	male	#245	119	High	Verified
2001	England and Wales	male	#184	191	High	Verified
2000	England and Wales	male	#255	111	High	Verified
1999	England and Wales	male	#292	93	High	Verified
1998	England and Wales	male	#351	67	High	Verified
1997	England and Wales	male	#360	65	High	Verified
1996	England and Wales	male	#300	83	High	Verified
2024	Northern Ireland	male	#404	3	High	Verified
2023	Northern Ireland	male	#312	5	High	Verified
2021	Northern Ireland	male	#374	4	High	Verified
2020	Northern Ireland	male	#270	6	High	Verified
2019	Northern Ireland	male	#312	5	High	Verified
2018	Northern Ireland	male	#255	7	High	Verified
2017	Northern Ireland	male	#415	3	High	Verified
2016	Northern Ireland	male	#320	5	High	Verified
2015	Northern Ireland	male	#222	9	High	Verified
2014	Northern Ireland	male	#243	8	High	Verified
2013	Northern Ireland	male	#200	11	High	Verified
2012	Northern Ireland	male	#204	10	High	Verified
2011	Northern Ireland	male	#261	6	High	Verified
2010	Northern Ireland	male	#267	6	High	Verified
2009	Northern Ireland	male	#262	6	High	Verified
2008	Northern Ireland	male	#291	5	High	Verified
2007	Northern Ireland	male	#276	5	High	Verified
2006	Northern Ireland	male	#341	3	High	Verified
2005	Northern Ireland	male	#231	6	High	Verified
2004	Northern Ireland	male	#149	14	High	Verified
2003	Northern Ireland	male	#149	13	High	Verified
2002	Northern Ireland	male	#204	6	High	Verified
2001	Northern Ireland	male	#151	11	High	Verified
2000	Northern Ireland	male	#176	8	High	Verified
1999	Northern Ireland	male	#210	6	High	Verified
1998	Northern Ireland	male	#190	7	High	Verified
2025	Republic of Ireland	male	#676	4	High	Verified
2024	Republic of Ireland	male	#785	3	High	Verified
2021	Republic of Ireland	male	#755	3	High	Verified
2019	Republic of Ireland	male	#466	7	High	Verified
2017	Republic of Ireland	male	#495	6	High	Verified
2016	Republic of Ireland	male	#713	3	High	Verified
2015	Republic of Ireland	male	#459	7	High	Verified
2014	Republic of Ireland	male	#508	6	High	Verified
2013	Republic of Ireland	male	#479	6	High	Verified
2012	Republic of Ireland	male	#500	6	High	Verified
2011	Republic of Ireland	male	#490	6	High	Verified
2010	Republic of Ireland	male	#400	9	High	Verified
2009	Republic of Ireland	male	#604	4	High	Verified
2008	Republic of Ireland	male	#444	7	High	Verified
2007	Republic of Ireland	male	#527	4	High	Verified
2006	Republic of Ireland	male	#354	7	High	Verified
2005	Republic of Ireland	male	#254	11	High	Verified
2004	Republic of Ireland	male	#263	10	High	Verified
2003	Republic of Ireland	male	#245	11	High	Verified
2002	Republic of Ireland	male	#393	4	High	Verified
2001	Republic of Ireland	male	#273	7	High	Verified
2000	Republic of Ireland	male	#312	5	High	Verified
1999	Republic of Ireland	male	#222	8	High	Verified
1998	Republic of Ireland	male	#242	6	High	Verified
1997	Republic of Ireland	male	#337	4	High	Verified
1991	Republic of Ireland	male	#288	4	High	Verified
2024	Scotland	male	#619	4	High	Verified

England and Wales hub — collected by Office for National Statistics
Northern Ireland hub — collected by NISRA
Republic of Ireland hub — collected by CSO Ireland
Scotland hub — collected by National Records of Scotland

See methodology and data sources for how popularity data is collected and what "confidence" means.

What the record shows

Recorded by 4 registrars between 1991 and 2025, ranked in 31 years of that period.

Its highest recorded position is #149, first reached in 2003.

Its largest count from any one registrar is 191 births, registered in England and Wales in 2001.

Its record falls into 2 separate stretches, with a longest absence of 4 years.

A second registrar first ranked it in 1996, and 33 years separate the first registrar to record it from the last.

Every figure here is counted from the seven official registrars Namewise holds. A position is only ever a place within the list that published it, and a record that thins or stops is a fact about what registrars printed — never about how many children received the name.

Where to go next

Records with a comparable body of evidence, so the catalogue can be read outward from this one. Each group states the rule it was selected by.

Next in the catalogue

The records either side of this one alphabetically.

Cailyn · #444, 15y
Caimin · #256, 26y
Cainan · #2501, 11y
Caine · #330, 29y

A comparable record

Records held by the same 4 registrars, over a similar number of ranked years, whose highest position is closest to this one. A similar body of evidence — never a claim that the names themselves are alike.

Ailsa · #148, 29y
Leighton · #150, 36y
Priya · #151, 30y
Shelby · #151, 31y

Also first recorded in the 1990s

Records whose earliest ranking in Namewise's registrar data also falls between 1990 and 1999.

Preston · #149, 30y
Ailsa · #148, 29y
Ffion · #148, 29y
Lyle · #148, 29y

Cain was ranked #149 in Northern Ireland · Boys in 2003. These are the names immediately either side of it on that published list — a fact about the registrar's own output, not a similarity judgement.

Cain and the names beside it

Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale, in the same year, by the same registrar — so these are positions that genuinely passed each other, not a similarity judgement. Drawn from the 2,573 names with a recorded popularity standing (common, familiar, uncommon), so a name outside that set could have passed Cain without appearing here.

Cain moved ahead of

Calum Compare
In 2017 they stood at #818 and #719 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2018 that had become #749 and #1040.
Geoffrey Compare
In 2009 they stood at #604 and #386 in Republic of Ireland · Boys; by 2010 that had become #400 and #611.
Garry Compare
In 2002 they stood at #393 and #348 in Republic of Ireland · Boys; by 2003 that had become #245 and #423.
Colin Compare
In 2017 they stood at #415 and #363 in Northern Ireland · Boys; by 2018 that had become #255 and #416.

Moved ahead of Cain

Kenneth Compare
In 2023 they stood at #1071 and #1207 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2024 that had become #1460 and #968.
Colin Compare
In 2023 they stood at #1071 and #1610 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2024 that had become #1460 and #1000.
Derek Compare
In 2023 they stood at #1071 and #1407 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2024 that had become #1460 and #1108.
Leif Compare
In 2021 they stood at #1250 and #1782 in England and Wales · Boys; by 2022 that had become #1314 and #967.

Moved the opposite way to Cain

Alex Compare
Between 1991 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Cain went from #288 to #676 while Alex went from #148 to #37.
Alexander Compare
Between 1991 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Cain went from #288 to #676 while Alexander went from #113 to #55.
Ben Compare
Between 1991 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Cain went from #288 to #676 while Ben went from #105 to #40.
Callum Compare
Between 1991 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Cain went from #288 to #676 while Callum went from #230 to #49.

Moved the same way as Cain

Adrian Compare
Between 1991 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Cain went from #288 to #676 and Adrian from #73 to #348.
Denis Compare
Between 1991 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Cain went from #288 to #676 and Denis from #68 to #232.
Frank Compare
Between 1991 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Cain went from #288 to #676 and Frank from #201 to #286.
Julian Compare
Between 1991 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Cain went from #288 to #676 and Julian from #242 to #348.

What's not yet available

Meaning
Origin
Pronunciation
Nicknames and spelling variants

Absence from this list does not mean the name isn't genuinely meaningful or widely used — only that Namewise hasn't sourced and reviewed that content yet. Absence from a specific year or geography above does not prove zero use there either; official statistics only publish names above a minimum threshold.

Official popularity data is available for 4 regions, from 1991 to 2025. Highest recorded position: #149 in Northern Ireland in 2004. Source data last verified 2026-07-21.

Cain

Cain at a glance

What the data shows

Popularity journey

Cain across 3 official records

Cain by decade in England and Wales · Boys

Cain appears in

Popularity data

What the record shows

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1990s

Names published alongside Cain

Cain and the names beside it

Cain moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Cain

Moved the opposite way to Cain

Moved the same way as Cain

Cain at a glance

Cain across 3 official records

Cain by decade in England and Wales · Boys

Cain appears in

What the record shows

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1990s

Names published alongside Cain

Cain and the names beside it

Cain moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Cain

Moved the opposite way to Cain

Moved the same way as Cain