Show ContentsPeling History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Peling predates the arrival of the Normans in Britain, and as such is one of the older names in the British Isles. As a surname, Peling is thought to be derived from the place named Peelings in Sussex (on record in the Domesday Book of 1066 as Pellinges). This place name is in turn thought to be derived from the Old English word "Pydelingas," or "the people of Pydel."

Early Origins of the Peling family

The surname Peling was first found in Lewes, Sussex where a Hammyng de Pellyng was on record in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296. A few years later, Adam Pilling was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Suffolk in 1283 and Emma Pylyng was in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296. Thomas Pillyng was listed in Warwickshire in 1344. [1]

Pilling in Lancashire is a "chapelry, in the parish and union of Garstang, hundred of Amounderness" [2] [3] and dates back to c. 1195 when it was known as Pylin. [4]

Other early records include a William Pelling recorded in 1222, in the Building Accounts of King Henry III, Wylelmus Pylyng, recorded in the Poll Tax for Yorkshire in 1379. [5] As far as the origin of the name is concerned, the name means "dweller by the creek" from the Old English word "pylling," [6] and while creeks are quite common throughout England, the name is not.

Early History of the Peling family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Peling research. Another 65 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1195, 1579, 1592, 1595, 1658, 1659, 1670, 1690, 1693, 1703, 1704, 1705, 1715, 1718, 1750, 1777 and 1852 are included under the topic Early Peling History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Peling Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Pelling, Pylyng, Peling and others.

Early Notables of the Peling family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Sir John Henry Pelly (1777-1852), Baronet of Upton, Governor of the Hudson Bay Company, and namesake of the Pelly River in the Yukon, Canada.Edward Pelling (died 1718), was an English divine from Wiltshire and Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. He was educated at Westminster School, and was admitted on 3 July 1658 to Trinity College, Cambridge, becoming a scholar on 14 April 1659. "Pelling was a stout defender of the Anglican church against both...
Another 82 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Peling Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Peling family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Richard Pelly, who arrived in Maryland in 1663; John Pelling, a bonded passenger, who arrived in Maryland in 1752; Jacque Pelly, who was recorded at the Port of Philadelphia in 1809.



The Peling Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Deo ducente nil nocet
Motto Translation: When God leads nothing hurts.


  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  3. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  4. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  5. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  6. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print


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