Fain History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
From the historical and enchanting region of France emerged a multitude of notable family names, including that of the distinguished Fain family. Originally, the people in this region went by one (personal) name. Surnames evolved during the Middle Ages when people began to assume an extra name to avoid confusion and to further identify themselves. These names then began to become "fixed" or hereditary between the generations. One of the types of names adopted as surnames were those derived from nicknames. Nicknames, or "eke-names," were an added name that generally reflected some physical characteristics or other attribute of the person that used the name. The Fain surname derives from the Old French word "fin," which could mean "fine," "delicate," "skilled," or even "cunning;" and as such could have been a nickname for a delicate, sensitive, elegant, or clever man.
Early Origins of the Fain family
The surname Fain was first found in Burgundy (French: Bourgogne), an administrative and historical region of east-central France, where the family has held a family seat since ancient times.
Early History of the Fain family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fain research. Another 210 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1494, 1498, 1525, 1530, 1532, 1555, 1567, 1571, 1611, 1778 and 1837 are included under the topic Early Fain History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Fain Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Fin, Fins, Finn, Finns, Fain, Faint, Fains, Faints, Faind, Fainds, Fein, Feint, Feins, Feints, Feind, Feinds, de Fin, du Fin and many more.
Early Notables of the Fain family
Notable amongst the family at this time was
- François Fain, Baron, secretary to Napoléon Bonaparte
Fain Ranking
In the United States, the name Fain is the 3,469th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 1
Fain migration to the United States +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Fain Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Mary Fain, who landed in Virginia in 1663 2
Fain Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Thomas Fain, who arrived in Virginia in 1705 2
Fain Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Johann Stephan Fain, who landed in Ohio in 1833 2
- Jacob Fain, aged 41, who arrived in New York, NY in 1884 2
- A. Fain, aged 52, who landed in America, in 1893
- David Fain, aged 23, who immigrated to the United States, in 1895
- Golde Fain, aged 19, who landed in America, in 1895
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Fain Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
- Emil Fain, aged 17, who landed in America, in 1905
- Abram Fain, aged 17, who immigrated to the United States from Sylma, Poland, in 1920
- Adolfo Fain, aged 25, who landed in America, in 1920
- Betty Fain, aged 10, who settled in America, in 1922
- Elizabeth Fain, aged 47, who immigrated to the United States, in 1922
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Fain migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Fain Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
Contemporary Notables of the name Fain (post 1700) +
- Holley Fain (b. 1981), American actress, best known for her role on the ABC's drama series Grey's Anatomy
- Melanie Ann "Huckaby" Fain (b. 1958), American printmaker
- Richard Alexander Fain (b. 1968), retired American college and NFL football player
- Ferris Roy Fain (1921-2001), American Major League Baseball first baseman
- Sammy Fain (1902-1989), born Samuel E. Feinberg, American composer
- Mabel Louise Fain (1904-1997), American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Oklahoma, 1944 4
- John A. Fain, American politician, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma, 1914-20 4
- James R. Fain, American politician, Mayor of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 1939-41 4
- G. J. Fain, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Georgia, 1860 4
- Benjamin Fain (b. 1930), Russian-born physicist, professor-emeritus, former refusenik
Suggested Readings for the name Fain +
- Fain Family 1980 by Jeanette Fain Cornelius.
Citations +
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, March 16) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html