Contents [hide]

Darling History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Darling History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The history of the name Darling goes back those Anglo-Saxon tribes that once ruled over Britain. Such a name was given to a person who was greatly loved by his friends and family. The surname was originally derived from the word deorling, which meant darling. 1 2

Early Origins of the Darling family

The surname Darling was first found in Devon where Oter Dirlinges sunu was listed (1100-1130.) 3

However, another source claims there is an even older Saxon reference "AElfmar Dyrling, a noble youth is mentioned in the Saxon Chronicle." 4

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle dates back to the late 9th century probably in Wessex and was updated through 1154. The name Derling with no personal name was listed in Bedfordshire 1133-1160 and later in the Pipe Rolls of Devon in 1177. In the same year many miles to the north, the first listing of the name in Scotland was found specifically Derlig de Ardift who was a witness to a charter. 5

But continuing the quest in England, we found Durling atte Forde in 1330, William Dierling (Derling) in the Pipe Rolls of Devon 1195-1196. 3 The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 lists: Ricardus Derlyng; Adam Derlyng; and Johannes Derlyng. 2

A few years later in Scotland, Waldevus Darling or Derlyng was a charter witness in Roxburgh c. 1338. Sir John Derlynge was precentor of Caithness in 1368 and later John Derling and Andrew Derling were burgesses of Edinburgh in 1381. 5

Early History of the Darling family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Darling research. Another 66 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1772, 1775, 1778, 1793, 1815, 1825, 1831, 1838, 1842, 1848, 1858, 1860 and 1865 are included under the topic Early Darling History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Darling Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Darling family name include Darling, Derling, Darlin, Durling, Darline, Derline, Derlin and many more.

Early Notables of the Darling family

Distinguished members of the family include

General Sir Ralph Darling, GCH (1772-1858), a British colonial Governor and the seventh Governor of New South Wales (from 19 December 1825 to 22 October 1831)...
He "was son of Christopher Darling, who was promoted from sergeant-major to the adjutancy of the 45th foot in 1778, and was afterwards quartermaster of that regiment...

Darling Ranking

In the United States, the name Darling is the 1,931^st most popular surname with an estimated 17,409 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Darling family to Ireland

Some of the Darling family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Darling migration to the United States +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Investigation of the origins of family names on the North American continent has revealed that early immigrants bearing the name Darling or a variant listed above:

Darling Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Denice Darling, who arrived in Braintree, Massachusetts in 1640 7
Dorothy Darling, who landed in Virginia in 1647 7
George Darling, who settled in Boston in 1651
Richard Darling, who settled in Virginia in 1651 with his wife Ruth
George Darling, who arrived in New England in 1651-1652 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Darling Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Mary Darling, who landed in Virginia in 1714 7
Jean Darling, who landed in Louisiana in 1718-1724 7
George Darling, who settled in Virginia in 1774
James Darling, aged 36, who landed in New York in 1798 7

Darling Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Robert Darling, who arrived in New York in 1819 7
W Darling, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 7
Mrs. S M Darling, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1855 7
Miss H D Darling, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1855 7
J Darling, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1855 7

Darling Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Charles Darling, who arrived in Pike County, Ind in 1900 7

Darling migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Darling Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

David Darling, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749
Ed Darling, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749
David Darling, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750

Darling migration to Australia +

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

Darling Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Robert Darling, a mason, who arrived in Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania) sometime between 1825 and 1832
Mr. William Darling, Scottish convict who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Burrell" on 22nd July 1830, arriving in New South Wales 8
Mr. Alfred Darling, British Convict who was convicted in Berkshire, England for life for machine breaking, transported aboard the "Eleanor" on 26th June 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
Mr. Francis Darling, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Camden" on 21st September 1832, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
Mr. William Darling, English convict who was convicted in Kingston upon Thames, London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Equestrian" on 25th January 1844, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island) 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Darling 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:

Darling Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

George Darling, aged 27, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Arab" in 1841
Isabella Darling, aged 21, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Arab" in 1841
Miss Elizabeth Darling, British settler travelling from London, UK aboard the ship "Bosworth" arriving in Dunedin, South Island, New Zealand on 24th November 1857 12
Miss Agnes Darling, British settler travelling from London, UK aboard the ship "Bosworth" arriving in Dunedin, South Island, New Zealand on 24th November 1857 12
Miss Charlotte Darling, British settler travelling from London, UK aboard the ship "Bosworth" arriving in Dunedin, South Island, New Zealand on 24th November 1857 12
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Darling (post 1700) +

David Darling (1941-2021), American cellist and composer who in 2010, won the Grammy Award for Best New Age Album
Jean Darling (1922-2015), born Dorothy Jean LeVake, an American child actress who was part of the Our Gang series from 1927 to 1929, one of the last surviving actors who worked in the silent film era
Candy Darling (1944-1974), born James Lawrence Slattery, an American actress, best known as a Warhol Superstar
Jay "Ding" Norwood Darling (1876-1962), American Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist
David Darling (b. 1941), American eclectic composer and cellist
Grace Darling (1815-1842), English lighthouse keeper's daughter, famed for help in rescuing the survivors from the shipwrecked Forfarshire in 1838 13
Sir Frank Fraser Darling (1903-1979), English ecologist, ornithologist, farmer, conservationist and author
William Darling (1802-1884), Scottish anatomist, born at Demse in Scotland in 1802 13
General Sir Ralph Darling (1772-1858), British colonial Governor of New South Wales, Australia (1825-1831), son of Christopher Darling, who was promoted from sergeant-major to the adjutancy of the 45th foot in 1778, and was afterwards quartermaster of that regiment 13
James Darling (1797-1862), Scottish bookseller and publisher, born in Edinburgh, and in 1809 apprenticed to Adam Black, the well-known publisher 13
... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Darling family +

Empress of Ireland

Mr. Murton Addison Daniel Darling (1886-1914), English First Class Passenger from London, England, United Kingdom who survived the sinking on the Empress of Ireland 14

Citations +

Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/burrell
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eleanor
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 2nd December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/camden
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 4th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/equestrian
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 16) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html