boy's name
Cain
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 1
- Letters 4
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 10,734
Northern Ireland
#504
2024 births
Cain is a boy's name with 1 syllable. In 2025 it was given to 185 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
- Peaked in 2014, when 330 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 17,921 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1910.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Cain over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1910s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1910s | 31 |
| 1920s | 51 |
| 1930s | 35 |
| 1940s | 15 |
| 1950s | 38 |
| 1960s | 73 |
| 1970s | 257 |
| 1980s | 380 |
| 1990s | 1,046 |
| 2000s | 1,481 |
| 2010s | 2,814 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,407 |
How popular is Cain?
In 2025, Cain was given to 185 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Cain is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Cain is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Caïn | Caïn is a rare spelling of Cain, written with a diaeresis and recorded about 45 times, mostly in France. | 45 |
Names that peaked alongside Cain
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Cain also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Cain over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Sibling names for Cain
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Cain — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Cain
How popular is the name Cain?
In 2025, Cain was given to 185 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Is Cain a girl's or a boy's name?
Cain is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Cain?
Cain has 1 syllable.
When was Cain most popular?
Cain peaked in 2014, when 330 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
Is Cain a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Cain currently ranks #504 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.