boy's name
Gaines
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 1
- Letters 6
- Popularity Rare
- Births on record 1,717
Gaines is a boy's name with 1 syllable. In 2025 it was given to 19 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
- Peaked in 1915, when 32 babies were given the name.
- After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
- Today about 1 in 174,520 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1882.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Gaines over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 10 |
| 1890s | 26 |
| 1900s | 19 |
| 1910s | 183 |
| 1920s | 239 |
| 1930s | 217 |
| 1940s | 202 |
| 1950s | 171 |
| 1960s | 94 |
| 1970s | 49 |
| 1980s | 50 |
| 1990s | 58 |
| 2000s | 94 |
| 2010s | 187 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 118 |
How popular is Gaines?
In 2025, Gaines was given to 19 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
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.
Names that peaked alongside Gaines
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Gaines also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Gaines over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Sibling names for Gaines
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Gaines — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Gaines
How popular is the name Gaines?
In 2025, Gaines was given to 19 babies in the United States. It is a rare choice.
Is Gaines a girl's or a boy's name?
Gaines is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Gaines?
Gaines has 1 syllable.
When was Gaines most popular?
Gaines peaked in 1915, when 32 babies were given the name. After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival.
Is Gaines a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Gaines currently ranks #5,131 in the United States. After peaking in the 1910s it fell out of use, and is now climbing again — a classic revival. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.