Sperling: a different surname
Sperling is a German and Jewish surname meaning 'sparrow'. It is often given as the origin of Spurlin, but English surname dictionaries derive Spurlin from a different source.
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Meaning
Wikipedia describes Sperling as a German and Jewish surname meaning "sparrow", one of many Germanic surnames taken from bird names[1]. Well-known bearers include the economist Gene Sperling and University of Phoenix founder John Sperling[1].
Why it gets confused with Spurlin
Many popular sources say Spurlin comes from Sperling. The FamilyTreeDNA project for these names says the surname is "believed to be of German or Dutch origin" and originally a form of Sperling, "sparrow". It adds that some lines may come from the British Isles[2]. Forebears quotes an older gloss about "some characteristic of a sparrow"[3].
The Dictionary of American Family Names instead derives Spurlin (via Spurling) from English Sparling, from an Old English personal name or a Middle English fish word[4][5]. It also notes that Sparling can be an Americanized form of German Sperling[5]. Both origins may therefore occur among American families: English Spurlings and Sparlings, and German Sperlings whose names were anglicized. Only documentary or DNA evidence can show which applies to a given family.
English Sperlings
Burke's General Armory lists English families spelled Sperling, including "Sperling or Spurling" of Weston, Hertfordshire (arms granted 1586) and Sperling of Dynes Hall, Essex[6]. SurnameDB treats English Sperling as a spelling of Spurling/Sparling[7]. The spelling Sperling alone therefore does not show German descent.
US frequency
The 2020 Census counted 3,882 people named Sperling (rank 8,164), more than the 2,616 named Spurlin[8].
See also
- Etymology of the Spurlin surname · The Surname strong
Scholarly surname dictionaries derive Spurlin, through Spurling and Sparling, from either an Old English personal name (Spyrling) or a Middle English word for a small fish such as the smelt; the popular 'sparrow' explanation belongs to German Sperling. - Spurlin spelling variants and related surnames · The Surname strong
Spurlin belongs to a group of related spellings (Spurling, Sparling, Sparlin, Sperlin, Spirling) that the Dictionary of American Family Names traces to the same English roots. Sperling and Spurlock look similar but have separate origins. - Sperling/Spurling DNA surname project · Genealogy mixed
FamilyTreeDNA hosts a volunteer-run Y-DNA surname project, 'Sperling Spurling', for Spurlin, Spurling, Sparlin, Sparling, Sperlin, Sperling, Spirlin and Spirling lines. Its largest group links descendants of Jeremiah Spurling of Virginia with descendants of 'Big John' Spurlin of Lincoln County, North Carolina. - Spurlin (surname) · The Surname strong
Spurlin is an English-origin surname, treated by modern surname dictionaries as a variant of Spurling/Sparling; today it is found almost entirely in the United States, where about 2,600 people bore it in the 2020 Census. - Spurlin surname merchandise (crests, mugs, name signs) · Products & Brands weak
Commercial "Spurlin family crest" downloads, mugs and name products are novelty items made to order from the surname; the heraldry shown is generic and not evidence of a Spurlin coat of arms.
References
- ↑ ↑ Sperling — Wikipedia Reference
- ↑ Sperling Spurling — Overview — FamilyTreeDNA group project Genealogy
- ↑ Spurlin Surname Origin, Meaning & Last Name History — Forebears Reference
- ↑ Spurlin Surname Meaning & Spurlin Family History — Ancestry.com — Quotes Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd ed. (2022): 'English: variant of Spurling' Reference
- ↑ ↑ Sparling Surname Meaning & Sparling Family History — Ancestry.com — Quotes DAFN 2nd ed. full etymology of Sparling Genealogy
- ↑ The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales (Sir Bernard Burke, 1884) — full text, Internet Archive — Entries Sparling (Petton, Salop); Sperling or Spurling (Weston, Herts, granted 1586); Sperling (Dynes Hall, Essex); Spurling (co. Essex) Book
- ↑ Spurling Surname: Meaning, Origin & Family History — SurnameDB (Internet Surname Database) Reference
- ↑ Frequently Occurring Last Names in the 2020 Census by Race and Hispanic Origin — U.S. Census Bureau — Raw data file; SPURLIN row: rank 11,506, count 2,616 Government
Last reviewed 2026-09-24.