Find out how popular the last name Easterling is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Easterling.

Easterling, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Easterling surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Easterling in America

Easterling is the 4201st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Easterling surname appeared 8,433 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Easterling.

We can also compare 2010 data for Easterling to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Easterling

The surname Easterling is of English origin and dates back to the medieval period. It derives from the Old English words "east" and "linga", meaning "easterner" or "from the east". This suggests that the name was originally given to someone who hailed from the eastern parts of England or had migrated from the east.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Easterling appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners and tenants in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name is listed as "Esterlinge", referring to an individual or family residing in the eastern counties of England.

The Easterling name can also be traced back to the 13th century in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, where it appears as "Esterlinge". This record highlights the presence of the name in the county of Oxfordshire during that time period.

In the 14th century, the name is found in various historical documents, including the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire, where it is spelled "Esterlynge". This suggests that the name had spread to different regions of England by that time.

One notable individual with the surname Easterling was Sir John Easterling (c. 1400-1470), a wealthy merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers in London. He was born in the city of Norwich, which further reinforces the eastern origins of the name.

Another prominent figure was Thomas Easterling (1538-1612), an English clergyman and theologian who served as the Bishop of Bristol from 1585 until his death. He was a renowned scholar and author, contributing to the translation of the King James Bible.

In the 17th century, the name is recorded in the parish registers of Cambridgeshire, where it appears as "Easterlinge". This variation in spelling was common during that era due to the lack of standardized orthography.

The Easterling surname also has a connection to the Hanseatic League, a powerful commercial and defensive confederation of merchant guilds and market towns in Northern Europe during the Late Middle Ages. The term "Easterling" was used to refer to the merchants and traders from the eastern regions of the league, particularly those from the Baltic regions.

Other notable individuals with the surname Easterling include William Easterling (1713-1786), an English philosopher and author, and Richard Easterling (1820-1895), a British explorer and naturalist who traveled extensively in South America and the Pacific islands.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Easterling

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Easterling.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Easterling was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Easterling has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Easterling was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Easterling, please contact us.

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