An Irish surname, Kane comes from Gaelic term of ‘cathain’ which means a long distance. The spelling variations for Kane include O’Cain, O’Kane, Kayne and Cain. The German spelling of Kane would be Kohn. In Ireland the original Kane families lived in the County Londonderry in northern Ireland. In England the counties in the northern regions, including Northumberland, Durham, Yorkshire and Lancashire have the higher Kane populations. In Scotland most regions have many Kane family members. The greatest concentration is in Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire. Within the United States the Kane family name originally in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey, California and Illinois. Famous: John Kane (artist from Scotland), Thomas L. Kane (Civil War Union Army General and founder of Kane, Pennsylvania), Robert “Bob” Kane (comic book artist and creator of the comic ‘Batman’), Miles Kane (English singer), Sarah Kane (playwright from England), Carol Kane (movie and television actress) and Elisha Kent Kane (early 19th century Arctic explorer).