LAING
Laing is a surname of Scottish provenance with cognates in the Old Norse language. It descends from the personal name Lange, which in Old Norse and early Old English meant “long” or “tall.” The name was originally a descriptive nickname applied to a person of notable height and, over time, the form Laing became established.
The surname survives in a number of orthographic variants that reflect regional pronunciation and spelling practices. Listeners and record keepers would have written it as Lang, Long, Lange, Lainge, or Laying – all of which are documented in early parish registers and legal documents.
The earliest surviving reference to the name occurs in a 1357 record from Drumfries in the north of Scotland, where a Thomas Laing is noted. Earlier, a Thomas Lange is listed in the 1296 Subsidy Rolls of Sussex, indicating the existence of the name in both Scotland and England during the thirteenth century. Subsequent entries include a Janet Laing who married Robert Lawson in Edinburgh on 20 April 1597, a Margaret Laing who married Andrew Scott on 13 May 1600, and a Sarah Lang who married George Jackson on 14 December 1615; all are recorded in the same city. A further entry records the christening of John, son of Ellis Lange, at St. Giles, Cripplegate, London, on 25 November 1621.
Geographically, the name is most common in Scotland, especially in the northeastern territories of Aberdeenshire, Fife, Perthshire, and Angus. It also appears in England, particularly in the north, and today is carried by people in countries that were once part of the British Empire, including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. The concentration in Scotland has remained fairly steady, while its use in England and Wales has declined somewhat in recent decades.
Several individuals of distinction have borne the surname. The psychiatrist R.D. Laing achieved international renown during the twentieth century. Other noted bearers include Maurice Laing, a British politician and journalist, and Gavin Laing, a former English cricketer. These figures demonstrate the wide spread of the name beyond its Scottish origins.
Because of its descriptive origin and the prevalence of the surname in the Scottish Highlands and Lowlands, many bearers of Laing can trace their ancestry back to a tall or elongated ancestor, a tradition that continues to be an important aspect of their family identity.
Typical given names associated with the Laing surname
Male
- Alexander
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- Ian
- James
- John
- Michael
- Robert
- William
Female
- Anne
- Catherine
- Elizabeth
- Jennifer
- Karen
- Margaret
- Mary
- Michelle
- 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 Laing in...
Braille
⠇⠁⠊⠝⠛
Morse
.-...-..-.--.
Semaphore
There are approximately 10,857 people named Laing in the UK. That makes it the 851st most common surname in Britain. Around 167 in a million people in Britain are named Laing.
Origin: Celtic
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: Scotland
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: Gaelic
Famous people named Laing
- Eleanor Laing - Politician
- R. D. Laing - Scottish psychiatrist and author (1927 to 1989)
- Jamie Laing -
- Olivia Laing - Writer
- Kirkland Laing - Boxer
- Robin Laing - Actor
- Nathaniel Mendez-Laing - Football player
- John Laing - Entrepreneur (1879 to 1978)
- Alexander Gordon Laing - Scottish explorer (1793 to 1826)
- Kirby Laing - Civil engineer (1916 to 2009)
- Stuart Laing - Actor
- Dave Laing - Writer (1947 to 2019)
- Davie Laing - Scottish football player (1925 to 2017)
- Gerald Laing - Artist (1936 to 2011)
- Hilary Laing - (1927 to 2013)
- David Laing - Antiquarian (1793 to 1878)
- Samuel Laing - Politician (1812 to 1897)
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.