Erling
About Erling
This old-school Nordic name derives from the Old Norse word jarl, meaning "leader, chief". While it has been out of the Norwegian Top 100 since the 1960s, a recent ⁰notable bearer is footballer Erling Haaland who has helped introduce it to a much wider audience after he played in the 2026 World Cup.
Pronounced EHR-ling.
As of October 2026, Erling ranked #4291 in US births in 2025 SSA, peaked at #672 in 1913.
Editor's take: The name Erling is a boy's name of Norwegian origin meaning "descendant of the chief".
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank | Births | Per million |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | — | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | #4,338 | 24 | 13.7 |
| 2023 | #2,487 | 54 | 31.6 |
| 2024 | #2,915 | 43 | 25 |
| 2025 | #4,291 | 24 | 14.1 |
Similar names
These 20 names were selected by our users looking for other names like Erling.
- Tancred
- Islwyn
- Evrard
- Lewellyn
- Swithun
- Penryn
- Devrim
- Leodis
- Esaias
- Keverne
- Nicanor
- Ukko
- Thaniel
- Henric
- Kolya
- Maurin
- Florentino
- Brynmor
- Moor
- Addar
Erling on lists
Famous Erlings
- Finn Erling Kydland
Norwegian economist; winner of the Nobel Prize
- Erling Jevne
Norwegian Olympic cross country skier
- Erling Sande
Norwegian MP
- Erling Wikborg
Norwegian MP
- Erling Eidem
Swedish theologian
- Erling Walther Sørensen
Danish footballer
- Erling Norvik
Norwegian MP
- Erling Martin Jonny Nilsson
retired competitive Swedish speed skater
- Erling Haaland
Norwegian footballer who plays for Manchester City