Given name & surname
Erling
“the son of a nobleman”
Erling is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “the son of a nobleman.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “the son of a nobleman.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
How it developed
In Danish usage, Erling developed from the Old Norse form Erlingr.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1908. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Erling through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,402
- 1,402 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2023
- 54 babies
- 2025
- 24
- #4,291 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +100%
- Rising fast
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 24 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 4,291 among boys’ names. The recent annual counts are too incomplete to establish a ten-year comparison. In 2025, New Jersey had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (5). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 550 as a first name in 2020; 351 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Erling’s family of names
In Norwegian usage, Erling has a feminine form in Erle. In Norwegian usage, Erling has a related form in ELLING. In Danish usage, Erling developed from the Old Norse form Erlingr.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 2
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Erling
- Erling HaalandNorwegian footballer (born 2000)
- Jonny NilssonSwedish ice speed skater (1943–2022)
- Erling SkakkeNorwegian noble1115–1179
- Erling KaggeNorwegian explorerborn 1963
- Erling MandelmannDanish photographer (1935-2018)
- Erling Evensencross-country skier (1914-1998)
- Erling JevneNorwegian cross-country skierborn 1966
- Erling Steinveggcandidate of Bagler to the Norwegian throne from 1204 to 12071150–1207
- Erling LorentzenNorwegian businessman (1923-2021)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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