Ling (surname)
Ling is a surname which can be of Chinese, English, or Nordic origin.
Chinese
"Ling" is the Roman alphabet spelling of multiple Chinese surnames.
Líng (凌)
According to traditional stories, the surname pronounced Líng (凌) in Mandarin originated during the Zhou Dynasty as an occupational surname for a court official responsible for the storage and handling of ice. King Wu of Zhou's brother Kang Shu (康叔) had a son who held this post, and Kang Shu's descendants later adopted Líng as their surname.[1]
- Ling Cao (凌操, died 203), Eastern Han dynasty military officer serving under the warlords Sun Ce and Sun Quan
- Ling Tong (凌統, 189–217), Eastern Han Dynasty military officer, son of Ling Cao
- Ling Mengchu (凌濛初, 1580–1644), Ming Dynasty writer
- Ling Shuhua (凌叔华, 1900–1990), Chinese modernist writer
- Ivy Ling Po (凌波, born 1939), Hong Kong actress
- Ling Yun (politician) (凌云, born 1917), first Minister of State Security of the People's Republic of China
- Ling Li (writer) (凌力, born 1942), Chinese writer and historian
- Ling Jing-huan (凌鏡寰, fl. 1950s), Taiwanese basketball player
- Laura Ling (凌志美, born 1976), American journalist
- Ling Wan Ting (凌婉婷, born 1980), Hong Kong badminton player
- Ling Cong (凌琮, born 1985), Chinese football player
- Andrew Ling (凌顯祐), Hong Kong violist
- Charles Ling (凌晓峰), Chinese-born Canadian computer scientist
- Doris Ling-Cohan (凌德麗), American judge on the New York Supreme Court
Lìng (令)
A less-common surname pronounced Lìng (令) in Mandarin:
- Ling Zhengce (令政策, born 1952), Chinese politician
- Ling Jihua (令计划, born 1956), Chinese politician
- Ling Wancheng (令完成, born 1960), Chinese businessman
Other
"Ling" may also be an Eastern Min, Northern Min, or Wu transcription of the surname pronounced in Mandarin as Lín (林).[2] People with this surname spelled as "Ling" include:
- Ling How Doong (林孝谆, born 1934), Singaporean politician and lawyer
- Ling Liong Sik (林良实, born 1943), Malaysian politician
- Jahja Ling (林望傑, born 1951), Indonesian-born American orchestral conductor
- Tschen La Ling (林球立, born 1956), Dutch football player
- Alan Ling Sie Kiong (林思健, born 1983), Malaysian lawyer
- Julia Ling (林小微, born 1983), American television actress
- Landon Ling (林家亮, born 1987), Canadian football player
- Tung-Chai Ling (林忠财), Malaysian materials scientist
The following Chinese people have the surname Ling, but the characters for their Chinese names are not known:
- Gilbert Ling (born 1919), Chinese-born American biologist
- Pamela Ling (born 1968), American reality show actress of Chinese descent
- Ling Yong (born 1978), Chinese Paralympic athlete
- John Wey Ling, Chinese ballet dancer
- Victor Ling, Chinese-born Canadian medical researcher
Other
The English surname Ling, also spelled Linge, may have two different origins: one from a word used in Lincolnshire meaning "heath", and the other as a toponymic surname referring to the parish of Lyng, Somerset.[3]
- Nicholas Ling (fl. 1570–1607), London publisher, bookseller, and editor
- Pehr Henrik Ling (1766–1839), Swedish medical-gymnastic practitioner
- Archie Ling (1881–1943), English football player
- David W. Ling (1890–1965), American federal judge
- William Ling (cricketer) (1891–1960), South African cricketer
- William Ling (referee) (1908–1984), English football referee
- Anthony Ling (1910–1987), British cricket player
- Trevor Ling (1920–1995), British scholar of religion
- James Ling (1922–2004), American founder of Ling-Temco-Vought
- Daniel Ling (1926–2003), Canadian scholar who studied the teaching of speech to deaf children
- Peter Ling (1926–2006), British scriptwriter and novelist
- John Ling (1933–2005), British diplomat, farmer, politician and writer
- Staffan Ling (born 1944), Swedish actor and television presenter
- Richard Ling (born 1954), American communications scholar
- Martin Ling (born 1966), English football manager
- Jamie Ling (born 1973), Canadian ice hockey player
- David Ling (born 1975), Canadian professional ice hockey player
- Cameron Ling (born 1981), Australian rules footballer
- Edward Ling (born 1983), British sport shooter
- Adam Ling (born 1991), New Zealand rower
- Andy Ling, British trance artist and remixer
- Jason Ling, American technologist
- Jonathan Ling, New Zealand businessman, CEO of Fletcher Building
- Kristi Ling, American inspirational speaker
- Philip Ling, Australian mountaineer
Fictional characters
- Francine Smith (née Ling) from the animated television series American Dad!
- Ling Xiaoyu (凌曉雨) from the Tekken series
- Ling Zhen (凌振) from the classical novel Water Margin
References
- ↑ Chao, Sheau-yueh J. (2000). Genealogical Research on Chinese Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company. p. 117.
- ↑ Starostin, Sergei. "林". Sino-Tibetan Etymology Database. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
- ↑ Bardsley, Charles Wareing Endell (1901). A dictionary of English and Welsh surnames, with special American instances. London: H. Frowe. p. 485.