Ling
Delicate Chinese name meaning "tiny" or referring to a willow tree.
Name Census estimates that about 207 living Americans carry the first name Ling. It is a predominantly female name (91.6% of registrations). The average person named Ling today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ling births was 1981 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ling. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
207
~ 1 in 1,655,818 Americans
Peak year
1981
13 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
1991 SSA rank
#6,986
Tracked since 1977
Gender
Gender distribution for Ling
Ling leans heavily female at 91.6% of total registrations, but 18 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Ling as a male name
- Ranked #6,986 in 1991
- 7 male births in 1991
- Peak: 1991 (7 births)
Ling as a female name
- Ranked #12,865 in 2024
- 7 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1981 (13 births)
Popularity
Ling: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ling from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 86 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ling by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Ling during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lings live
Origin
Meaning and history of Ling
The name Ling has its origins in various Asian cultures and languages. In Chinese, Ling is a common given name that can have several meanings, including "gemstone," "spirit," or "willow tree." It is a name with a long and rich history, dating back to ancient times.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ling can be found in the Chinese classic literary work "The Book of Songs," which dates back to the 11th-7th centuries BCE. In this anthology of ancient Chinese poetry, the name Ling appears in several poems, often associated with beauty, grace, and natural elements.
In ancient Chinese philosophy and religion, the name Ling is also linked to the concept of "lingxi," which refers to the spiritual essence or energy that permeates all living beings and the universe. This association with spirituality and the natural world has given the name a mystical and poetic quality throughout its history.
The name Ling has also been borne by several notable figures in Chinese history. One of the most famous is Ling Lun (c. 673-746 CE), a renowned Buddhist monk and scholar who played a significant role in the development of the Huayan school of Buddhist philosophy. Another prominent individual was Ling Ren (1828-1903), a Qing dynasty official and reformer who advocated for modernization and westernization in China.
In Korean culture, the name Ling is also found, although it is less common. It can be written using different Hangul characters and may have meanings such as "jade" or "precious stone." One notable Korean figure with the name Ling was Ling Yun (1518-1604), a renowned Neo-Confucian scholar and writer during the Joseon dynasty.
Beyond Asia, the name Ling has also made its mark in other cultures and contexts. In the West, one of the most famous bearers of the name was Ling Woo (1905-1984), a Chinese-American actor and comedian who achieved fame in Hollywood during the 1930s and 1940s. His career helped break down stereotypes and paved the way for greater representation of Asian actors in American cinema.
Overall, the name Ling has a rich and diverse history, spanning across centuries and cultures. Its connections to nature, spirituality, and beauty have imbued it with a sense of depth and mystery, making it a name that continues to captivate and inspire.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Ling
People
Ling + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ling as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ling: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ling?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 207 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ling going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,655,818 US residents.
Is Ling a common name?
We classify Ling as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 215 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ling most popular?
The single biggest year for Ling was 1981, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ling is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Ling a female name?
Yes, 91.6% of people registered as Ling in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.