Paine
A surname that usually comes from the old personal name Pagan, rather than from the modern word “pain.”
The #4,171 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 36,319 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Paine is generally traced to the medieval personal name Pagan, from Latin paganus, originally meaning a country dweller and later “heathen” in Christian usage. In Norman and medieval English records, this name appears in forms such as Pagan, Payn, Payne, and Paine, which then became inherited surnames. The spelling with -ai- is one of several English developments of the same underlying name.
History
The surname is well established in England by the Middle Ages and appears in many spellings, including Payn and Payne. It spread through English-speaking countries in later centuries, and today Paine and Payne are closely related but separate surname spellings. Historical writers note that the family name was already common enough in medieval records to leave many descendants and variants.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The famous English writer Thomas Paine carries one of the best-known spellings of this old medieval name.
From the historical record
“'633, — Georre Davia and BridEelt ChilTt: St. Jaa. C1erken.icll, tiL 64. _ J64S- — John Paine and Elii. Clewly : 1717.— Thomu Cinley and Elii. Wllka : St, Geo. Han. Sq, i, 4. 1804. John Clulow, town cJeik of”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances