Sperling History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany
Ireland

The earliest origins of the name Sperling date back to the time of the Anglo-Saxons. The name is derived from the baptismal name for the son of Spirling, which was an ancient Old English personal name. After the Norman Conquest, the Old English naming system gradually dissolved. Old English names became less common and were replaced by popular continental European names. The earliest surnames in England were found shortly after the Norman Conquest and are of Norman French rather than native English origins.

Early Origins of the Sperling family

The surname Sperling was first found in Hertfordshire where they held a family seat from ancient times, some say long before the Norman Conquest in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Sperling family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sperling research. Another 84 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1809 and 1834 are included under the topic Early Sperling History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sperling Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Sperling include Sparling, Sparlin, Sperling, Spurling, Spearling and others.

Early Notables of the Sperling family

Distinguished members of the family include

Sperling of Hertfordshire

Sperling Ranking

In the United States, the name Sperling is the 6,466^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Sperling family to Ireland

Some of the Sperling family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 32 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sperling migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Sperling or a variant listed above:

Sperling Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Peter Sperling, who arrived in the New World in 1709 at the age of 47 with his wife and six children
Peter Sperling, with his wife, three sons, and three daughters, who landed in America in 1709
Peter Sperling, with his wife, three sons, and three daughters, who all landed in America in 1709
Andreas Sperling, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1767 2
Levin Sperling, who arrived in America in 1780 2

Sperling Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Sophie Sperling, who arrived in America in 1846 2
Gottfried Sperling, who arrived in New York, NY in 1850 2
John Sperling, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1868 2
Katharina Sperling, aged 24, who landed in Nebraska in 1874 2
Peter Sperling, aged 8, who arrived in Nebraska in 1874 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Sperling (post 1700) +

John Sperling (1921-2014), American billionaire and University of Phoenix founder
Peter Sperling (b. 1960), one of the 400 wealthiest Americans, founder of the Apollo Group
Milton Sperling (1912-1988), American producer and screenwriter
Gene Sperling (b. 1958), American economist
Sheldon J. Sperling, American politician, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, 1990 3
Miklos Sperling, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Indiana, 1964 3
Herbert V. Sperling, American Republican politician, Candidate for Pennsylvania State House of Representatives from Allegheny County 7th District, 1964 3
John Sperling (1793-1877), British Lieutenant Royal Engineers, son of Henry Piper Sperling of Park Place, Henley-on-Thames
Ezra J. "Edward" Sperling (1889-1946), Belarus writer, humourist, and Zionist
Leon Sperling (1900-1941), Polish Olympic footballer

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, November 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html