The surname Bain is a descriptive surname. Descriptive names otherwise known as nicknames were used to identify a particular feature or trait of an individual. Nicknames have been applied to many historical figures and were in use before ancestral surnames were introduced. Names such as Walsh were used to describe a person from Wales. Short, Long, or White are readily identified as nicknames. The tendency to identify people in this manner is still quite popular today. In this case the name is derived from the Gaelic ‘ban’ which means ‘fair, white’.

Scotland, originally known as Caledonia, became known as Scotland during the 11^th century. The Normans reached Scotland as settlers not invaders, soon blending with the local population. With this assimilation came change in the form of customs and laws the Normans brought with them. One major change brought about was the introduction to Scotland of the system of nobility.

Our investigations of the surname Bain appears in Scottish documents from the early 14^th century when records show that Thomas Ban was burgess of Perth in 1324AD. Later references show that John Bane was burgess of Edinburgh in 1423 and Robert Bane held a tenement in the Flukargait, Dundee in 1442. Also, William Bayn was a tenant in Kethyk in 1467. The Bains of Caithness, according to the Book of Mackay, are descended from John Bain, son of Neil Neilson, son of Donald (Mackay) who was murdered in 1370. More recently, Martin Bayne held a tenement in Ayr in the year 1518. A chaplain Bain arrived in Australia in 1791 as Chaplain to the N.S.W. Corp.

BLAZON OF ARMS: Azure a wolf’s head erased or.
Translation: Azure indicates the colour blue, which represents fidelity and veracity. The tincture Or depicts gold or yellow and indicates the bearer was generous, alternatively it indicates elevation of the mind.

CREST: A dexter arm armed grasping a dirk proper.

MOTTO: Et marte et arte
Translation: Both by strength and art

From the Library of Family Surname History