GIRLING
Girling is a surname of English origin, stemming from the Middle English word girling, which denoted a young person or child. In earlier usage the term was applied as a nickname to individuals whose appearance or manner conveyed youthfulness. Over successive generations the nickname became inherited, giving rise to the family name that persists today.
Another proposed derivation links the surname to the Old French phrase ceur de lion, translated as “lion heart”. According to this hypothesis the name was originally a nickname either for a man who displayed bravery or, in a more ironic sense, for one who was exceptionally timid. While this etymology appears in some early records, it is less widely accepted than the Middle English origin.
The earliest documented instances of forms related to Girling appear in the late 13th and early 14th centuries. In the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex (1296) a William Gerlyn is recorded; the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire (1296) mention an Adam Girdelyon; and the Subsidy Rolls of Cambridgeshire (1327) list a Robert Gerling. These variants – Girdelyon, Girdeling, Girdling, Gerlyn – illustrate the fluid spelling of the name at the time. In later centuries the surname developed regionally distinct spellings: Codling in Yorkshire, Quodling and Quadling in Norfolk and Suffolk, and Girling and Gurling, particularly in Suffolk, Essex and other parts of East Anglia.
In the mid-16th century the name appears in parish and court records across Suffolk. On 15 January 1544 a marriage between Anthony Girling and Elizabeth Sekford was entered in Great Bealings; on 13 April 1571 the christening of Alice, daughter of Christopher Girling, was recorded at Ellough. The earliest known spelling of a family member, Richard Querdeleon, is found in the “Assize Court Rolls of Bedfordshire” dated 1247. This record, occurring during the reign of King Henry the First, provides the earliest extant reference to a form of the name.
Contemporary bearers of the surname are predominantly found in English‑speaking parts of the world, with significant concentrations in the United Kingdom. While the name has a long history rooted in England, members of the Girling family have migrated widely, carrying the surname into various cultures and societies. The name remains a testament to the way nicknames based on age or character traits can evolve into hereditary family identifiers over centuries.
Typical given names associated with the Girling surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Keith
- Mark
- Michael
- Nigel
- Paul
- Peter
- Simon
- Stephen
Female
- Amanda
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Gillian
- Helen
- Jane
- Jean
- Jennifer
- Laura
- Margaret
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Girling in...
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There are approximately 3,272 people named Girling in the UK. That makes it roughly the 2,776th most common surname in Britain. Around 50 in a million people in Britain are named Girling.
Surname type: Location or geographical feature
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Girling
- Julie Girling - Independent politician
- Dickie Girling - Football player (1922 to 1992)
- Brian Girling -
- Mary Girling - Religious leader (1827 to 1886)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.