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Show ContentsLing History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
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Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

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Early Origins of the Ling family

The surname Ling 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 Ling family

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

Ling Spelling Variations

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

Early Notables of the Ling family

More information is included under the topic Early Ling Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ling Ranking

In the United States, the name Ling is the 5,093rd most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. [10]

Ireland Migration of the Ling family to Ireland

Some of the Ling 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.

United States Ling migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Ling Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Charles Ling, who landed in Virginia in 1666 [11]
  • Francis Ling, who landed in Maryland in 1666 [11]
Ling Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Peter Ling, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1737 [11]
  • George Ling, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1774 [11]
Ling Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • F Ling, aged 30, who arrived in New York, NY in 1847 [11]
  • Aart Ling, aged 1, who landed in New York, NY in 1847 [11]
  • Atrena Ling, aged 23, who arrived in New York, NY in 1847 [11]

Australia Ling migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Ling Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

New Zealand Ling 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:

Ling Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Benjamin Ling, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Tobago" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 14th September 1842 [16]
  • Frank Ling, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Queen of Beauty" in 1863
  • W. Ling, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Wild Duck" in 1865
  • Henry Ling, aged 18, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Zealandia" in 1879

West Indies Ling migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. [17]
Ling Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Mr. John Ling, aged 45, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "Hopewell" arriving in Barbados on 17th February 1634 [11]

Contemporary Notables of the name Ling (post 1700) +

  • Eugene Ling (d. 1995), American screen writer and producer
  • Per Henrik Ling (1776-1839), Swedish author
  • Ding Ling (1904-1986), Chinese novelist
  • David Ling, Canadian professional hockey player
Air New Zealand Flight 901
  • Mrs. Alison Louise Ling (1919-1979), New Zealander passenger, from Titirangi, Auckland, New Zealand aboard the Air New Zealand Flight 901 for an Antarctic sightseeing flight when it flew into Mount Erebus; she died in the crash [18]
HMS Repulse
  • Mr. Leslie Walter Ling (b. 1918), British Marine, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and died in the sinking [19]
RMS Titanic
  • Mr. Hee Ling, aged 24, Chinese Third Class passenger from Hong Kong who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking in collapsible C [20]

Suggested Readings for the name Ling +

  • Ling Surname Index by Calvin H. Ling.
  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. Charnock, Richard, Stephen, Ludus Patronymicus of The Etymology of Curious Surnames. London: Trubner & Co., 60 Paternoster Row, 1868. Print.
  4. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  5. Page, William (ed), A History of the County of Norfolk. London: Victoria County History, 1906. Print
  6. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  7. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  8. Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. Print
  9. 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
  10. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  11. 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)
  12. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 8th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Dick
  13. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/burrell
  14. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) RELIANCE 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Reliance.htm
  15. Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 11th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/clara
  16. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  17. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  18. Mount Erebus, Memorial, Roll of Remembrance (Retrieved 2018, February 21st). Retrieved from http://www.erebus.co.nz/memorialandawards/rollofremembrance.aspx
  19. HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
  20. Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html
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