Ling is a surname which can be of Chinese, English, or Nordic origin.
"Ling" is the Roman alphabet spelling of multiple Chinese surnames.
According to traditional stories, the surname pronounced Líng (凌) in Mandarin originated during the Zhou Dynasty as an occupational surname for a court official responsible for the storage and handling of ice. King Wu of Zhou's brother Kang Shu (康叔) had a son who held this post, and Kang Shu's descendants later adopted Líng as their surname.
Ling Cao (凌操, died 203), Eastern Han dynasty military officer serving under the warlords Sun Ce and Sun Quan
Ling Tong (凌統, 189–217), Eastern Han Dynasty military officer, son of Ling Cao
Ling Mengchu (凌濛初, 1580–1644), Ming Dynasty writer
Ling Shuhua (凌叔华, 1900–1990), Chinese modernist writer
Gilbert Ling (born 1919), Chinese-born American biologist
Ivy Ling Po (凌波, born 1939), Hong Kong actress
Ling Yun (politician) (凌云, born 1917), first Minister of State Security of the People's Republic of China
Ling Li (writer) (凌力, born 1942), Chinese writer and historian
Ling Jing-huan (凌鏡寰, fl. 1950s), Taiwanese basketball player
Ling Sik Hung, James (凌錫洪, born 1951), Salvation Army Pastor
Laura Ling (凌志美, born 1976), American journalist
Ling Wan Ting (凌婉婷, born 1980), Hong Kong badminton player
Ling Cong (凌琮, born 1985), Chinese football player
Andrew Ling (凌顯祐), Hong Kong violist
Charles Ling (凌晓峰), Chinese-born Canadian computer scientist
Doris Ling-Cohan (凌德麗), American judge on the New York Supreme Court
A less-common surname pronounced Lìng (令) in Mandarin:
Ling Zhengce (令政策, born 1952), Chinese politician
Ling Jihua (令计划, born 1956), Chinese politician
Ling Wancheng (令完成, born 1960), Chinese businessman
"Ling" may also be an Eastern Min, Northern Min, or Wu transcription of the surname pronounced in Mandarin as Lín (林). People with this surname spelled as "Ling" include:
Ling How Doong (林孝谆, born 1934), Singaporean politician and lawyer
Ling Liong Sik (林良实, born 1943), Malaysian politician
Jahja Ling (林望傑, born 1951), Indonesian-born American orchestral conductor
Tschen La Ling (林球立, born 1956), Dutch football player
Alan Ling Sie Kiong (林思健, born 1983), Malaysian lawyer
Julia Ling (林小微, born 1983), American television actress
Landon Ling (林家亮, born 1987), Canadian football player
Tung-Chai Ling (林忠财), Malaysian materials scientist
The following Chinese people have the surname Ling, but the characters for their Chinese names are not known:
Pamela Ling (born 1968), American reality show actress of Chinese descent
Ling Yong (born 1978), Chinese Paralympic athlete
John Wey Ling, Chinese ballet dancer
Victor Ling, Chinese-born Canadian medical researcher
The Vietnamese surname Linh originated from the Vietnamese pronunciation of a different character pronounced Líng in Mandarin (靈), which is not used as a surname in Chinese.
The English surname Ling, also spelled Linge, may have two different origins: one from a word used in Lincolnshire meaning "heath", and the other as a toponymic surname referring to the parish of Lyng, Somerset.
Nicholas Ling (fl. 1570–1607), London publisher, bookseller, and editor
Pehr Henrik Ling (1766–1839), Swedish medical-gymnastic practitioner
Archie Ling (1881–1943), English football player
David W. Ling (1890–1965), American federal judge
William Ling (cricketer) (1891–1960), South African cricketer
William Ling (referee) (1908–1984), English football referee
Anthony Ling (1910–1987), British cricket player
Trevor Ling (1920–1995), British scholar of religion
James Ling (1922–2004), American founder of Ling-Temco-Vought
Daniel Ling (1926–2003), Canadian scholar who studied the teaching of speech to deaf children
Peter Ling (1926–2006), British scriptwriter and novelist
John Ling (1933–2005), British diplomat, farmer, politician and writer
Staffan Ling (born 1944), Swedish actor and television presenter
Richard Ling (born 1954), American communications scholar
Martin Ling (born 1966), English football manager
Jamie Ling (born 1973), Canadian ice hockey player
David Ling (born 1975), Canadian professional ice hockey player
Cameron Ling (born 1981), Australian rules footballer
Edward Ling (born 1983), British sport shooter
Adam Ling (born 1991), New Zealand rower
Andy Ling, British trance artist and remixer
Jason Ling, American technologist
Jonathan Ling, New Zealand businessman, CEO of Fletcher Building
Kristi Ling, American inspirational speaker
Philip Ling, Australian mountaineer
Francine Smith (née Ling) from the animated television series American Dad!
Ling Xiaoyu (凌曉雨) from the Tekken series
Ling Zhen (凌振) from the classical novel Water Margin
