Origins of the Payne surname

What does the name Payne mean?

Payne is often used as a patronymic surname, originating in England. It was given to those who were the son or descendant of somebody with the given name 'Payn', 'Pain' or 'Paine', diminutive forms of the medieval name 'Pagan'. Pagan was a popular given name throughout the 1100s, 1200s and 1300s, with the 'Payne' surname appearing in records from the 1200s onwards.

Alternative variations of the name Payne

Payne, Paine, Pain, Payn, Pane

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Delve deeper into the Payne family's history

OrkneyShetlandHighlandsWestern IslesGrampianTaysideCentralStrathclydeFifeLothianBordersDumfriesNorth East 443North West 417Isle of Man 7Yorkshire 1341East Midlands 1209West Midlands 1982East 1879London 7456South East 3824South West 1460South Wales 573Mid Wales 68West Wales 11North Wales 36Republic of IrelandNorthern Ireland

In 1921, most Paynes lived in london

Census records trace your ancestors through each generation, so you can follow where your relatives lived through each decade.

36,000 Payne Travel & migration records
280,000 Paynes found in all Census records

Interesting facts about Payne

How common is your surname?

119th most common surname in the UK

We have for the Payne surname. The oldest one dates back to .

Who were Paynes most likely to marry?

Our tell us which families married Paynes.

What are the most common Payne first names?

William

John

Mary

Elizabeth

Our tell us the names of Payne family members
Man with milk churns and census card collage
Census records provide incredible detail on names, ages, marital statuses, occupations and more.

Common jobs for Paynes

Men and women often performed different types of jobs, so these are displayed by gender to maintain their historical accuracy.

Commmon female occupations for Paynes in 1921

Dressmaker

1,310

Laundress

1,041

Domestic Servant

778

General Servant Domestic

689

General Servant

513

Commmon male occupations for Paynes in 1921

Agricultural Labourer

1,551

General Labourer

1,147

Farm Labourer

906

Carpenter

887

Gardener

520

We found over 370,000 family trees with the Payne surname

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