Kling
A German surname that can come from a sword or blade, or from a word for a rushing stream.
The #4,598 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 40,029 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Kling is generally explained from German words related either to a blade or to the sound or movement of water. One old source connects it with a German word for “blade” or “sword,” while others link it to dialectal German Kling, meaning a stream or brook, especially a lively one. Because both explanations appear in historical surname scholarship, the name’s exact origin is best treated as uncertain rather than singular.
History
Kling is well attested in German-speaking areas and also appears in German compound surnames such as Klingel, Klinger, Klinghammer, and Klingbeil. In some 19th- and early-20th-century surname books it is discussed alongside other names that may arise from topographic features or from weapon imagery, showing that it was already established as a recognizable family name type.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In older surname literature, Kling is sometimes explained from the idea of a “ringing” or “clashing” blade, which is why it turns up in weapon-based compound names like Klingbeil and Klingsporn.
From the historical record
“son. KLING. German E^linge, a blade, a sword. OF FAMILY NAMES. 177 KNAPP. (Ger.) Knappe, a lad, boy, servant, workman; a squire, whence Knave and Knapsack. KNEVETT. A corruption of the Norman name Duvenet. KNICKERBACKER. (Dutch and Ger.) Cracker-baker, from knacker, a cracker, and backer, a baker.”
— An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names