Mains
A surname with several possible roots, most likely from a place-name or a descriptive nickname, and sometimes linked to the old French phrase for “white hands.”
The #8,266 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 76,994 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Mains is not securely explained by the excerpts, but the best-known historical association is with the Old French phrase related to "white hands" or "blanched hands"—a nickname that appears in medieval naming traditions and is often discussed alongside the surname Blanchmains. In English usage, though, Mains may also reflect a place-name element or a shortened form developed from an earlier compound surname. Because the surviving dictionary references here are indirect rather than a dedicated headword entry, the exact origin for this surname remains uncertain.
History
The sources mainly mention Mains only in passing, often while discussing related forms such as Blanchmains. In medieval contexts, surnames built from nicknames, especially descriptive ones, could become hereditary and then simplify over time. Modern bearers of Mains may therefore descend from more than one unrelated family line.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The medieval nickname behind related forms like Blanchmains was memorable enough to be recorded for a nobleman, Robert de Beaumont, 3rd Earl of Leicester.
From the historical record
“Oldcastle in Monmouth 'was once the residence of Sir John Oldcastle ; the re- mains ot the castle are slight' [Nat Gas.). OLDERSHAW (Eng.) Dweller at the Alder- Wood [M.E. alder, alter, O.E. aler, alder- tree+M.E. 'shaw(e, O.E. sc(e)aga, r wood] OLDHAM (Eng.) Dweller at i the Old En-”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)