Ling
The Story of Ling
As a girl name
Ling first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1977, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1981, when 13 Lings were born — ranking #5,253 that year. As of 2026, Ling ranks #12,120 for girls with 7 births, with steady use. In total, more than 197 Lings have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1970s through the 2020s.
As a boy name
Ling first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1982, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1991, when 7 Lings were born — ranking #6,518 that year. As of 2026, Ling ranks #6,518 for boys with 7 births, with steady use. In total, more than 18 Lings have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1980s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Ling
Phonetically similar names — useful when Ling is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ling
What does the name Ling mean?
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About the name Ling
Ling is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1977 and has accumulated 197 births in the dataset. Ling's peak popularity came in 1981 when it ranked #5,253. Use the chart and map above to compare Ling's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1981 →
- Names of the 1980s →
- Names starting with "L" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.