TARLING
Tarling is a surname of English origin that has been documented as early as the twelfth century. Its presence in the British Isles was first noted in Terling, a village in Essex.
One recorded form of the name appears in the Codex diplomaticus aevi Saxonici (1050) where the place is written Terlinges, and later in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Terlingas. The place name is believed to originate from the Old‑English tribal name Tyrhtlingas, composed of the personal name Tyrhtel and the suffix ingas, meaning “people or dependants of”. Consequently, the surname Tarling may have arisen as an indicator of origin, identifying those who came from this community.
Another explanation for the surname is its derivation from the Old English personal name Tarlinc, a diminutive of Tarl, a name of uncertain meaning. In this view, Tarling is patronymic, signifying “son of Tarl” or “descendant of Tarlinc”. Both derivations are plausible and may have co‑existed, reflecting the common medieval practice of adopting either a locational or a patronymic surname.
The earliest surviving spelling of the family name is that of Joane Tarlinge, dated 4 August 1548. Joane was a witness at a christening in Epping, Essex, during the reign of King Edward VI (1547‑1553). Subsequent parish records in the same county provide further evidence of the name: Johan, daughter of Clement Tarling, christened 14 March 1591 at Epping; Richard, son of Weston Tarling, christened 23 December 1599 at Leaden Roding; and George Tarling, who married Love Reade on 3 September 1610 at Bobbingworth.
Throughout the Middle Ages, migration for employment prompted many individuals to adopt their village name as a means of identification. This practice facilitated the dispersal of the Tarling surname beyond its original locality. By the early modern period, the name had established a presence mainly in the southern counties of England, although it remained relatively rare compared with other English surnames.
In contemporary records the surname is identified as English in character, belonging to the category of location or geographical feature derived names. Its persistence into modern times, despite its scarcity, provides a valuable window into the naming conventions of Anglo‑Saxon and medieval England.
Typical given names associated with the Tarling surname
Male
- Alan
- Andrew
- David
- Jack
- James
- John
- Michael
- Paul
- Richard
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Claire
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Gillian
- Jane
- Jean
- Joanne
- Karen
- Margaret
- Michelle
- Patricia
- Rebecca
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Darling
- Tarring
- Tarlin
- Terlin
- Traling
- Dearling
- Dearlng
- Derling
- Dirling
- Dorling
- Doroling
- Dreeling
- Dreiling
- Durling
- Taring
- Tarli
- Tarlington
- Teerlinck
- Terelinck
- Terelincke
- Terling
- Terlingen
- Therling
- Thirling
- Thorling
- Thurling
- Tierling
- Torlin
- Torlini
- Trailing
- Tralongo
- Trayling
- Treulling
- Trilling
- Turlin
- Turling
- Turlington
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Tarling in...
Braille
⠞⠁⠗⠇⠊⠝⠛
Morse
-.-.-..-....-.--.
Semaphore
There are approximately 1,679 people named Tarling in the UK. That makes it roughly the 4,886th most common surname in Britain. Around 26 in a million people in Britain are named Tarling.
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 Tarling
- Nicholas Tarling - New Zealand historian (1931 to 2017)
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.