Lyng History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Early Origins of the Lyng family

The surname Lyng was first found in Suffolk where Bernard del Ling was recorded in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1207. 1

However we must look to either Lyng, Norfolk or Lyng, Somerset for the origin of the family. Of the two, Lyng, Somerset is the oldest dating back to Saxon times when it was known as Lengen c. 930. 2 3 Interestingly, while both were listed in the Domesday Book of 1086, they had different spellings at the time: Ling, Norfolk and Lege, Somerset. 4 Both had similar topographical meanings: "bank or ridge," 5 and "hill-slope" (Somerset.) 6

Early feudal rolls provided the king of the time a method of cataloguing holdings for taxation, but today they provide a glimpse into the wide surname spellings in use at that time. William atte Lyng was found in Norwich in 1327 and later, John Lyng was listed in the Assize Rolls for London in 1433. 1

"The Lings derived their name several centuries ago from the parish of Lyng in this county, one of the first of the name having been a John de Ling of Norfolk; in the 13th century (H. R.). These ancient De Lyngs or De Lings were influential people; one of them was chancellor of the diocese in 1349, and another was bailiff of Norwich in 1370. Thomas Lyng was rector of Catfield in 1506; and in the 16th and 17th centuries Lyng and Ling were frequent clerical names in the county. I omitted to mention that Jeff, de Ling, who combined the accomplishments of the antiquarian and historian with his duties as a friar of the Franciscan convent in Norwich, was born at Lyng, and died in 1390. The name is at present best represented in the adjoining county of Suffolk." 7

A search through Norfolk records revealed Henry atte Lyng, 52 Henry III (during the 52nd year of Henry III's reign); and Joger de Lyng was bailiff of Norwich in 1370. 8

Hotten's Lists of Emigrants includes an entry for Henry and John Linge who were resident in Virginia, in 1623. 9

Early History of the Lyng family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Lyng research. Another 97 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1455 and 1487 are included under the topic Early Lyng History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lyng Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Ling, Linge, Lyng, Lynge and others.

Early Notables of the Lyng family

Distinguished members of the family include

the Lyng family of Norfolk

Migration of the Lyng family to Ireland

Some of the Lyng family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 66 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Lyng migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Lyng Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Joseph Lyng, aged 25, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1736 10

Lyng migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Lyng Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

John Lyng, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Edwin Fox" in 1875

Contemporary Notables of the name Lyng (post 1700) +

Richard Edmund Lyng (1918-2003), American administrator
Mr. Thomas Lyng, British sheriff, held the joint position of Sheriff of Nottingham, England from 1449 to 1450
Peder Rasmus Lyng (1799-1863), Norwegian politician
Lizzie Lyng, Irish camogie player and a social worker
Jon Lyng (1945-2003), Norwegian lawyer and politician
Toralf Lyng (1909-2005), Norwegian sports official
Ulrik Fredrik Lange Lyng (1868-1948), Norwegian judge
Jakob Lyng (1907-1995), Danish fencer
Sandra Lyng (b. 1987), Norwegian singer
Michael Lyng (b. 1985), Gaelic footballer in Ireland
... (Another 5 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Charnock, Richard, Stephen, Ludus Patronymicus of The Etymology of Curious Surnames. London: Trubner & Co., 60 Paternoster Row, 1868. Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Page, William (ed), A History of the County of Norfolk. London: Victoria County History, 1906. Print
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. Print
Hotten, John Camden (ed), The original lists of persons of quality; emigrants; religious exiles; political rebels; serving men sold for a term of years; apprentices; children stolen; maidens pressed; and others who went from Great Britain to the American plantations 1600-1700.New York: J. W. Bouton, 1874, Digital
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)