Ling
Meaning
tinkling of jade (玲); the classic closing syllable of Cantonese girls' names (Mei-Ling, Wai-Ling) and a name on its own in US Chinatowns
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Ling has stayed rare in US records the whole time: no peak decade to name.
See popularity in Brazil
Popularity in Brazil
89 people · the #44,732 first name in Brazil · median age 38
Among people named Ling living in Brazil at the 2022 census, more were born in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Source: IBGE, Censo Demográfico 2022
When you meet Ling
Most people given the name Ling in the United States were born between 1980 and 2009. The Ling you meet today is most often in her 20s or 30s.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Ling deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Ling truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Ling fits with your family’s names and surname.
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