Elling History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

Early Origins of the Elling family

The surname Elling was first found in Yorkshire in the East Riding at Ellerker, a village and civil parish that dates back to the Domesday Book where it was listed as Alrecher and literally meant "marsh where alders grow" from the Old Scandinavian words elri + kjarr. [1]

At the time of the Domesday Book, the village was quite small with about 5 households holding about 39 villagers. The land was held at that time by Earl Morcar who was tenant in chief of the Bishop of Durham St Cuthbert. [2]

Early History of the Elling family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Elling research. Another 188 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1512, 1522, 1527, 1529, 1540 and 1546 are included under the topic Early Elling History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Elling Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Ellerker, Elerker, Ellerkar, Ellarker, Elarker, Ellercker, Elercker, Ellicker, Elicker, Ellickar, Elliker, Hellerker, Helliker, Elliker and many more.

Early Notables of the Elling family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir William Ellerker, Sheriff of Northumberland; Sir Ralph Ellerker of Risby, Yorkshire; and his eldest son, Sir Ralph Ellerker (died 1546), an English soldier, knight and politician, High Sheriff of Yorkshire in 1529. "Both father and son were knighted by the Earl of Surrey at Flodden Field. The elder Ellerker took part in the useless Spanish expedition in 1512, was an esquire...
Another 70 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Elling Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Elling migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Elling or a variant listed above were:

Elling Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Von Elling, who landed in North America in 1832-1849 [3]
Ignatz Heinr Elling, who landed in America in 1846 [3]
J H Elling, aged 27, who arrived in New York, NY in 1847 [3]
John Heinr Elling, who landed in New York, NY in 1847 [3]
Anna Mar Elling, aged 2, who arrived in New York, NY in 1847 [3]
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Elling migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Elling Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Charles Elling, who settled in Ontario in 1875

Contemporary Notables of the name Elling (post 1700) +

Toni Elling (1928-2023), born Rosita Sims, also known by her stage name Satin Doll, was an American burlesque dancer, inducted into the Burlesque Hall of Fame in 2016
Kurt Elling (b. 1967), American jazz singer and songwriter. Born in Chicago, Illinois, he began to perform around Chicago, scat singing and improvising his lyrics after University. He has been nominated for ten Grammy Awards, winning Best Vocal Jazz Album for Dedicated to You in 2009 and Secrets Are the Best Stories in 2021

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
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)