Gaines
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- GAYNZ
- Origin
- English
- US rank, 2025
- #5,044 for boys
Gaines is a boys' name of English origin, meaning “ingenuity, cunning”. In 2025 it ranked 5,044th for boys in the US (19 babies).
What does Gaines mean?
English: surname from the Norman nickname Engaine
“ingenuity, cunning”
From an English surname traced to Old French engaigne, 'trickery, ingenuity', a nickname brought over by the Normans.
Is Gaines a girl's or a boy's name?
Gaines is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 19 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Gaines in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 5,044th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 19 about 1 in 90,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Falling down 38% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 19 boys in the US were named Gaines, making it the 5,044th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 3,495th. Its busiest year was 1915, with 32 boys. It first appears in the records in 1882.
Half of all the boys named Gaines in the US since 1880 were born between 1927 and 1994, the years shaded on the chart below.
Gaines in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 19 | #5,044 |
| 2024 | 13 | #6,464 |
| 2023 | 17 | #5,465 |
| 2022 | 15 | #5,870 |
| 2021 | 23 | #4,358 |
| 2020 | 31 | #3,495 |
| 2019 | 20 | #4,802 |
| 2018 | 28 | #3,789 |
| 2017 | 25 | #4,101 |
| 2016 | 29 | #3,680 |
| 2015 | 18 | #5,056 |
| 2014 | 19 | #4,862 |
| 2013 | 15 | #5,655 |
| 2012 | 9 | #8,152 |
| 2011 | 11 | #7,002 |
| 2010 | 13 | #6,353 |
| 2009 | 14 | #6,091 |
| 2008 | 15 | #5,762 |
| 2007 | 16 | #5,431 |
| 2006 | 10 | #7,422 |
| 2005 | 7 | #9,108 |
| 2004 | 5 | #11,348 |
| 2003 | 7 | #8,636 |
| 2002 | 6 | #9,385 |
| 2001 | 7 | #8,332 |
| 2000 | 7 | #8,202 |
| 1999 | 11 | #5,650 |
| 1998 | 0 | – |
| 1997 | 0 | – |
| 1996 | 8 | #6,489 |
| 1995 | 10 | #5,495 |
| 1994 | 6 | #7,764 |
| 1993 | 7 | #6,809 |
| 1992 | 6 | #7,414 |
| 1991 | 5 | #8,228 |
| 1990 | 5 | #8,108 |
| 1989 | 0 | – |
| 1988 | 0 | – |
| 1987 | 6 | #6,083 |
| 1986 | 6 | #5,920 |
| 1985 | 7 | #5,142 |
| 1984 | 0 | – |
| 1983 | 5 | #6,234 |
| 1982 | 9 | #4,232 |
| 1981 | 11 | #3,599 |
| 1980 | 6 | #5,523 |
| 1979 | 6 | #5,353 |
| 1978 | 0 | – |
| 1977 | 0 | – |
| 1976 | 9 | #3,722 |
| 1975 | 10 | #3,426 |
| 1974 | 0 | – |
| 1973 | 6 | #4,503 |
| 1972 | 7 | #3,960 |
| 1971 | 11 | #2,971 |
| 1970 | 0 | – |
| 1969 | 9 | #3,061 |
| 1968 | 9 | #2,906 |
| 1967 | 10 | #2,610 |
| 1966 | 10 | #2,626 |
| 1965 | 5 | #3,928 |
| 1964 | 9 | #2,853 |
| 1963 | 5 | #4,047 |
| 1962 | 10 | #2,671 |
| 1961 | 11 | #2,536 |
| 1960 | 16 | #2,041 |
| 1959 | 15 | #2,110 |
| 1958 | 18 | #1,895 |
| 1957 | 18 | #1,886 |
| 1956 | 14 | #2,167 |
| 1955 | 19 | #1,790 |
| 1954 | 19 | #1,761 |
| 1953 | 14 | #2,098 |
| 1952 | 15 | #2,009 |
| 1951 | 13 | #2,134 |
| 1950 | 26 | #1,433 |
| 1949 | 21 | #1,615 |
| 1948 | 19 | #1,702 |
| 1947 | 19 | #1,732 |
| 1946 | 24 | #1,439 |
| 1945 | 21 | #1,444 |
| 1944 | 18 | #1,629 |
| 1943 | 19 | #1,635 |
| 1942 | 14 | #1,946 |
| 1941 | 19 | #1,588 |
| 1940 | 28 | #1,275 |
| 1939 | 27 | #1,272 |
| 1938 | 10 | #2,326 |
| 1937 | 28 | #1,265 |
| 1936 | 29 | #1,225 |
| 1935 | 11 | #2,246 |
| 1934 | 27 | #1,293 |
| 1933 | 17 | #1,707 |
| 1932 | 20 | #1,584 |
| 1931 | 23 | #1,458 |
| 1930 | 25 | #1,463 |
| 1929 | 22 | #1,564 |
| 1928 | 20 | #1,707 |
| 1927 | 32 | #1,293 |
| 1926 | 19 | #1,787 |
| 1925 | 25 | #1,493 |
| 1924 | 26 | #1,492 |
| 1923 | 19 | #1,815 |
| 1922 | 27 | #1,434 |
| 1921 | 31 | #1,329 |
| 1920 | 18 | #1,885 |
| 1919 | 26 | #1,407 |
| 1918 | 25 | #1,445 |
| 1917 | 22 | #1,528 |
| 1916 | 15 | #1,948 |
| 1915 | 32 | #1,141 |
| 1914 | 25 | #1,153 |
| 1913 | 11 | #1,675 |
| 1912 | 12 | #1,416 |
| 1911 | 9 | #1,189 |
| 1910 | 6 | #1,420 |
| 1909 | 6 | #1,277 |
| 1908 | 0 | – |
| 1907 | 0 | – |
| 1906 | 6 | #1,110 |
| 1905 | 0 | – |
| 1904 | 0 | – |
| 1903 | 0 | – |
| 1902 | 0 | – |
| 1901 | 0 | – |
| 1900 | 7 | #1,049 |
| 1899 | 0 | – |
| 1898 | 5 | #1,120 |
| 1897 | 0 | – |
| 1896 | 6 | #981 |
| 1895 | 5 | #1,078 |
| 1894 | 0 | – |
| 1893 | 5 | #1,034 |
| 1892 | 0 | – |
| 1891 | 0 | – |
| 1890 | 5 | #994 |
| 1889 | 0 | – |
| 1888 | 0 | – |
| 1887 | 0 | – |
| 1886 | 0 | – |
| 1885 | 5 | #935 |
| 1884 | 0 | – |
| 1883 | 0 | – |
| 1882 | 5 | #942 |
Names like Gaines
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Charles, James, Gus, George, Jack, Hollis, Ellis, Clark, Harlan, Jones, Ford, Leland
Names related to Gaines
More English names
Lily, Evelyn, Hudson, Ivy, Harper, Grace, Violet, Willow, Daisy, Poppy, Riley, Oakley, Mason, Cooper, Ruby, Hallie
Sources
Figures from Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Gaines: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/gaines, updated 20 October 2026.