Ling (surname)

Ling is a surname which can be of either 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
  • Ling Yun (politician) (凌云, born 1917), first Minister of State Security of the People's Republic of China
  • Gilbert Ling (凌寧, born 1919), Chinese-born American biologist
  • Ling Qing (凌青, 1923–2010), Chinese diplomat
  • Ivy Ling Po (凌波, born 1939), Hong Kong actress
  • Ling Li (writer) (凌力, born 1942), Chinese writer and historian
  • Ling Jing-huan (凌鏡寰, fl. 1950s), Taiwanese basketball player
  • James Sik Hung Ling (凌錫洪, born 1951), Hong Kong Salvation Army pastor
  • Laura Ling (凌志美, born 1976), American journalist
  • Lisa Ling (凌志慧 born 1973), American journalist, television presenter, and author
  • Ling Yong (凌勇, born 1978), Chinese Paralympic athlete
  • Ling Wan Ting (凌婉婷, born 1980), Hong Kong badminton player
  • Ling Jie (凌洁, born 1982), Chinese artistic gymnast
  • Ling Cong (凌琮, born 1985), Chinese football player
  • Ling Zihan (凌子涵, born 1987), Chinese technology businesswoman
  • Kang Ling (凌康, born 1997), Chinese racing driver
  • 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
  • L.H.M. Ling (凌煥銘), American scholar of international affairs

Lìng (令)

There is also a less-common surname pronounced Lìng (令) in Mandarin. In some cases, it may be a shortened version of the surname Linghu (令狐).[2] People with this surname include:

  • Ling Zhengce (令政策, born 1952), Chinese politician
  • Ling Jihua (令计划, born 1956), Chinese politician
  • Huping Ling (令狐萍, born 1956), Chinese-born American historian
  • Ling Wancheng (令完成, born 1960), Chinese businessman

Regional pronunciation of Lín (林)

"Ling" may also be an Eastern Min, Northern Min, or Wu transcription of the surname pronounced in Mandarin as Lín (林).[3] 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
  • Victor Ling (林重慶, born 1943), Chinese-born Canadian medical researcher
  • Jahja Ling (林望傑, born 1951), Indonesian-born American orchestral conductor
  • Tschen La Ling (林球立, born 1956), Dutch football player
  • John Wey Ling (林建伟; born c. 1958), Chinese-born American ballet dancer
  • 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

Other

One other rare surname (鈴) also pronounced Líng in Mandarin is believed to be used by only eight people in China.[4] People with this surname include:

  • Ling Kai (鈴凱, born 1986), Singaporean singer-songwriter

The following Chinese people have the surname Ling, but the characters for their Chinese names are not known:

  • Jonathan Ling (born c. 1954), Australian businessman of Chinese descent, CEO of Fletcher Building
  • Pam Ling (born 1968), American reality show actress of Chinese descent

The Vietnamese surname Linh originated from the Vietnamese pronunciation of a different character pronounced Líng in Mandarin (靈), which is not used as a surname in Chinese.

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.[5]

Fictional characters

References
  1. Chao, Sheau-yueh J. (2000). Genealogical Research on Chinese Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company. p. 117.
  2. "山西令氏大有来头 网友观点:令狐名气大却不常见". Phoenix Television. 21 June 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
  3. Starostin, Sergei. "林". Sino-Tibetan Etymology Database. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  4. "南京生僻姓氏调查:电台主持本姓'铃'全国8人是一家". Eastday. 4 January 2011. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
  5. Bardsley, Charles Wareing Endell (1901). A dictionary of English and Welsh surnames, with special American instances. London: H. Frowde. p. 485.
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