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

Erling, 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 Erling surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Erling in America

Erling is the 57101st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Erling surname appeared 357 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Erling.

We can also compare 2010 data for Erling 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 Erling

The surname Erling is of Scandinavian origin, specifically from Norway. It is believed to have originated in the 9th or 10th century during the Viking era. The name is a compound word derived from the Old Norse elements "ør" meaning beach or shore, and "lingr" meaning descendant or son.

Erling is thought to be an ancient Norwegian patronymic surname, indicating that the original bearer was the son or descendant of someone who lived near a beach or shore. This name was likely first adopted as a way to identify individuals and families in the coastal regions of Norway.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Erling can be found in the Icelandic Sagas, which are a collection of historical narratives written in the 13th and 14th centuries. These sagas mention several individuals with the name Erling, including Erling Skjalgsson, a Norwegian chieftain and Viking who lived in the late 10th century.

Another notable historical figure with the surname Erling was Erling Vidkunsson (c. 1150-1208), a Norwegian nobleman and military leader who played a significant role in the civil wars of the late 12th century. He was also known as Erling Steinvegg, meaning "Erling the Stone Wall" due to his reputation as a formidable warrior.

In the 13th century, there are records of an Erling Alvsson, a Norwegian nobleman and military commander who was involved in the conflicts between the Birkebeiner and Bagler factions during the Norwegian civil war period.

The name Erling has also been associated with several place names in Norway, such as Erlingsdalen, a valley in the municipality of Eidfjord, and Erlingsvåg, a village in the municipality of Herøy.

Another notable individual with the surname Erling was Erling Bredvig (1863-1940), a Norwegian author and poet who was born in the village of Bredvik in the municipality of Skjervøy.

While the surname Erling is still found in Norway today, it is relatively uncommon compared to its historical prevalence. However, it remains an important part of Norwegian cultural heritage, reflecting the country's Viking roots and coastal traditions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Erling

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

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 Erling 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 Erling 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 Erling was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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