Ding
A surname with a few possible roots, including a short form of Germanic names and, in some cases, a place-name origin.
The #6,784 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 62,084 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The evidence for Ding is mixed, and the old surname dictionaries do not give a single secure derivation. In some cases it may be connected with short Germanic personal-name forms such as Dinger or with continental names recorded in German and Dutch contexts; Barber also notes a personal-name form behind Ding. Because the surname is very short, it could also sometimes arise independently from local or family usage rather than one fixed source.
History
The name appears in British and American records, but the historical excerpts mainly mention it only in passing rather than as a well-defined entry. The surname is uncommon in the United States and may represent more than one unrelated family line. Some instances may reflect Anglicized continental names or brief clipped forms of older surnames.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because Ding is so short, early surname collectors often had trouble deciding whether it was a true inherited surname, a clipped form of another name, or a local spelling variant.
From the historical record
“Elizabeth, Wheal Kitty, &c. Sometimes their origin may be traced to the ancient Tin Bounds, as Ale and Cakes, Ding Dong, &c. Others are the result of fancy, or perhaps situation, or circum- stance, as Wheal Chance, Wheal Cost is Lost, &c.—”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)