Blaine
Blaine is most often a surname that can reflect a place-name or an altered form of another surname such as Chamberlain.
The #5,397 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 47,860 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Blaine is not securely explained by the excerpt provided. In general, it is often treated as a variant or shortened form of names that have been altered in spelling over time, and one historical note suggests a connection with Chamberlain. It may also be associated with place-name or descriptive surname patterns in English and Scottish usage, but the evidence here is not strong enough to state one single origin with confidence.
History
The name is best known in English-speaking countries, especially Britain and the United States. Because spellings were flexible for many generations, Blaine may have developed as a reduced or altered form of another surname in some families. The historical excerpt supplied points to one such possibility rather than a fixed, universal origin.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A 19th-century note in Bardsley links one early spelling to Chamberlain, showing how far surname forms could drift over time.
From the historical record
“1637. Buried— Mary, d. Michaell Cham- blaine : St Jas. Clerkenwell, iv. 331. This entry seems to point to Chamberlain as the original form. Boston (U.S.), 9, 3.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (alternate scan)