The English surname of Gaines is an Old French term of ‘engaingne’ comes from the Latin term ‘ingania’ which all refer to a clever person, one who is ingenious. The many spellings for Gaines include Gayne, Gains, Gain and Gaine. In England the original counties for Gaines families were Yorkshire, Hampshire and in the city of London. In Scotland the only county with Gaines families is Midlothian. Within the United States the Gaines families originated in Virginia, Kentucky, Georgia, Texas, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Alabama. Famous: Max Gaines (comic book publisher), Cassie Gaines (singer), David Gaines (professional basketball player), Richard Gaines (actor), William Gaines (founder of Mad Magazine), Charles Gaines (actor and developer of the game of Paintball) and Jacques Gaines (Canadian singer).