Cain

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Origin: Hebrew, Welsh, French, English

Meaning: Derived from the Hebrew root word qanah meaning "acquired" or "acquisition"; it could also be from qayin meaning "spear" or "smith".

Cain is also a Welsh feminine name meaning "beautiful", usually a short form of names such as Ceinwen or Ceindeg. Also spelled Keyne. It's pronounced kyne in Welsh.

It's also a surname from French Caen, a town in Normandy derived from Gaulish elements catu (battle) and magos (field, plain) meaning "battle field" or "battle plain", as well as an English surname from Middle English cane referring to a "cane, reed", an occupational surname for someone who gathered reeds for weaving baskets or for floor covering.

In the Bible, Cain is the firstborn son of Adam and Eve and the older brother of Abel. He was a tiller of the ground while Abel was a shepherd and when they made an offering to God, He prefered Abel's sacrifice over Cain's. In his jealousy, Cain killed his younger brother becoming the first human to kill.


Variants:

• Kain (Biblical Greek)
• Kayin (Hebrew)
• Kane
• Cane