Baines
An English surname that likely began as a locational name for someone from a place near Bayeux in Normandy.
The #5,313 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 47,086 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The name is generally explained as a locational surname from a place near Bayeux in Normandy, spelled in medieval forms such as Baynes or Baines. The place-name is usually linked to Old French bain, meaning "bath," suggesting a site associated with baths or bathing. In English records, the surname later appears in several spellings, including Baines and Baynes.
History
The surname is found in medieval and later English records, especially in the north of England. 19th-century writers also note that the name sometimes overlapped or was confused with similar-looking surnames such as Bane or Bayne. It has remained in use in Britain and later spread overseas through migration.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Older surname books sometimes connect Baines with a Normandy place-name rather than with the modern English word "bane," which sounds similar but has a different history.
From the historical record
“shire. BAINES. BAYNES. A village near Bayeux, in Normandy, probably so called from Fr. hain, a bath. BAIRD. Said to be the Scottish form of bard, or poet. Jamieson. This, however, ia doubtful as to the surname, which in North Britain is widely sjiread. Its prin- cipal modes of spelling have been Bard, Byrd, Bayard.…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom