Show ContentsAlling History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Alling is from that region of northern France called Normandy. The name came from the ancient given name Allen, meaning rock. This type of surname is known as a patronymic name, and comes from a broad category of surname types, known as hereditary surnames. Today there is a small town named Allain in north-eastern France.

Early Origins of the Alling family

The surname Alling was first found in Normandy (French: Normandie), the former Duchy of Normandy, where this family held a family seat since very early times.

During the early Middle Ages the members of the family distinguished themselves through their involvement in the politics of the country, focusing on the welfare of their province. Through the years the family prospered and grew, and therefore branched into to several other areas.

By the 1700's members were prominently engaged in politics and François Allain was elected deputy at the Estates General at Saint-Malo in 1789. A member of this family who became notable through his contribution to society was François-Marie Allain de Launay, who served the King as Counselor and was elected President of the municipal district of Carhaix.

Descending from the original line of Normandy, François-Mathieu Alein, who came from a branch family, was the legal agent of the imperial treasure at Mouzon. He was highly esteemed and therefore elected as a member of the Legislative Assembly.

Simon Alain, born in 1646 and baptized on 18th August 1648, son of André and Catherine (née Marc), travelled from Rouen, Normandy to Canada in the 17th century. After arriving in Quebec he married Jeanne Maufait, daughter of Pierre and Marie (née Duval), on 15th April 1670. 1

Early History of the Alling family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Alling research. Another 106 words (8 lines of text) covering the year 1113 is included under the topic Early Alling History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Alling Spelling Variations

French surnames were subject to numerous alterations in spelling because of the various cultural groups that inhabited specific regions. Eventually, each region possessed its own local dialect of the French language. The early development of the French language, however, was also influenced by other languages. For example, Old French was infused with Germanic words and sounds when barbarian tribes invaded and settled in France after the fall of the Roman Empire. Middle French also borrowed heavily from the Italian language during the Renaissance. As a result of these linguistic and cultural influences, the name Alling is distinguished by a number of regional variations. The many spelling variations of the name include Alain, Alains, Alin, Alein, Alan, Allain, Allains, Allin, Allein, Allan, Aland, Alland, Aling, Alling, Alen, Allen, Aleng, Alleng, Alène and many more.

Early Notables of the Alling family

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

Alling Ranking

In the United States, the name Alling is the 16,265th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Alling family

France finally gave land incentives for 2,000 migrants during the 1700s. Early marriage was encouraged in New France, and youths of 18 took fourteen-year-old girls for their wives. The fur trade was developed and attracted migrants, both noble and commoner from France. 15,000 explorers left Montreal in the late 17th and 18th centuries, leaving French names scattered across the continent. The search for the Northwest passage continued. Migration from France to New France or Quebec, as it was now more popularly called, continued until 1759. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. By the same year the Acadian presence in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island had reached 500. In the treaty of Utrecht, the Acadians were ceded by France to Britain in 1713. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported. They found refuge in Louisiana. Meanwhile, in Quebec, the French race flourished, founding in Lower Canada, one of the two great solitudes which became Canada. Many of this distinguished family name Alling were prominent in social, cultural, religious and political affairs in France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Alling were M. Alain, aged 48, who settled in New Orleans in 1823; Erik Person Alin, aged 20, who settled in New York in 1846; James Allein, who settled in Maryland in 1716.


Contemporary Notables of the name Alling (post 1700) +

  • Brigadier-General Harold Alling McGinnis (1893-1986), American Inspector-General, 8th Air Force (1942-1944) 3


  1. Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2013, February 12) Harold McGinnis. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/McGinnis/Harold_Alling/USA.html


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