Payne
Originally a surname for someone linked to the medieval name Pagan, later associated with “heathen” or “rustic” in Old French and Latin.
The #195 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 2,165 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Payne is an old surname form ultimately connected with the medieval personal name Pagan, from Old French payen/pagan and Latin paganus. In the sources, the name is glossed as meaning “rustic” or “heathen,” reflecting the older sense of paganus before its later religious meaning became dominant. The surname therefore began as a descendant of a given name rather than as a direct label for a trait.
History
Medieval records show many early bearers as Payn, Pain, Pagan, and related spellings, especially in England after the Norman period. Later forms such as Payne became standard, while related diminutives and variants also developed, including Paynel. The name remained widespread in England and later spread strongly to North America and other English-speaking regions.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
One 19th-century source notes a particularly large cluster of Paynes at East Grinstead in Sussex.
From the historical record
“PAYN 1 ( A.-Fr.-Lat. ) lit. Rustic; Pagan, PAYNE J Heathen [M.E. pain, payn, payen, O.Fr. payen, pagien (Fr. paten), pagan ; L.a.t: pagan-US, vUlagei—pag-us, village] Gilbert Payn.— Hund. Rolls. Payn le Fitz-Waryn. — Pari. Writs. Simon Payn. — Lane. Fines (A.D. 1336). And the trewe kinnesman, the payenes sone. —…”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)