Karlin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

The Irish name Karlin claims descent from the O'Connors in Donegal where "Carlan" (from the Irish "carla" meaning a "wool-comb" and "an" meaning "one who" which roughly translates as "one who combs wool") was in Irish O'Carlain or O'Caireallain.

Early Origins of the Karlin family

The surname Karlin was first found in County Limerick (Irish: Luimneach) located in Southwestern Ireland, in the province of Munster, where the name is descended from the O'Connor stem, Kings of Connaught and the family became early associated with the county of Tyrone, and in neighboring counties.

Early History of the Karlin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Karlin research. Another 130 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1535, 1568, 1670, 1738 and 1799 are included under the topic Early Karlin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Karlin Spelling Variations

The Middle Ages saw a great number of spelling variations for surnames common to the Irish landscape. One reason for these variations is the fact that surnames were not rigidly fixed by this period because the general population had to rely on local official's understanding of how their name should be spelt, hence spellings in records often changed through a person's lifetime. The following variations for the name Karlin were encountered in the archives: Carlin, Carling, O'Carolan, Carline, Karlin, Kerling, Kerline, Carlind, Carlynde, Carlyne, Carlyn, Carrlin, Carrling, Kerlynd, Kerlynde, Karlynd, Karline, Kearlin, Kearline, Kearlynd, Carolan, Carrolan, Carolyn, Carolyne, Caroline, Carolynde, Caraline, Carroline, Carlan, Carland, Carlon, Carlone, Karolin, Karolan, Karrolin and many more.

Early Notables of the Karlin family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was Hugh O'Carolan, Bishop of Clogher from 1535-1568. Turlough O'Carolan (1670-1738) was a blind early Irish harper, composer and singer, known for his gift for melodic composition. Born in Nobber, County Meath, his father took a job with the MacDermott Roe family of Alderford House, thereby giving Turlough an education. By the time he was eighteen, he was blinded by smallpox and by the age of twenty-one, he was given a horse and...
Another 81 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Karlin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Karlin Ranking

In the United States, the name Karlin is the 18,162^nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Karlin migration to the United States +

Ireland became inhospitable for many native Irish families in the 19th centuries. Poverty, lack of opportunities, high rents, and discrimination forced thousands to leave the island for North America. The largest exodus of Irish settlers occurred with the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. For these immigrants the journey to British North America and the United States was long and dangerous and many did not live to see the shores of those new lands. Those who did make it were essential to the development of what would become two of the wealthiest and most powerful nations of the world. These Irish immigrants were not only important for peopling the new settlements and cities, they also provided the manpower needed for the many industrial and agricultural projects so essential to these growing nations. Immigration and passenger lists have documented the arrival of various people bearing the name Karlin to North America:

Karlin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Caroline Karlin, aged 1, who arrived in New York, NY in 1873 2
Christiane Karlin, aged 1, who landed in New York, NY in 1873 2
Christine Karlin, aged 7, who arrived in New York, NY in 1873 2
Dorothea Karlin, aged 1, who landed in New York, NY in 1873 2
Friederike Karlin, aged 45, who landed in New York, NY in 1873 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Karlin (post 1700) +

Wayne Karlin (b. 1945), American author, editor, and teacher
Anna R. Karlin, American Microsoft Professor of Computer Science & Engineering at the University of Washington, daughter of Samuel Karlin
Ben Karlin (b. 1971), American eight time Emmy-winning American writer and executive producer
Frederick James "Fred" Karlin (1936-2004), American Academy Award winning, Primetime Emyy Award winning, Grammy Award nominated composer for feature films and television movies
Samuel Karlin (1924-2007), American mathematician awarded the National Medal of Science in 1989
William Karlin, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from New York County 4th District, 1918; Delegate to Socialist National Convention from New York, 1920 3
Anna Karlin, American politician, Candidate for Presidential Elector for Michigan, 1916 3
Miriam Karlin OBE (1925-2011), born Miriam Samuels, a British actress, best known for her role as Paddy in the BBC sitcom The Rag Trade

The Karlin 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: Felis demulcta mitis
Motto Translation: A stroked cat is gentle.

Citations +

"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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 6) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html