Linge

Attested across 4 languages in the etymology graph.

Linge is also recorded as 4 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• a separate name2 spellings in the group

  Also written Lingė

• Norwegian surname8 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Norway, Sweden, United States, Netherlands

  Languages: Norwegian, Swedish, Danish

  Also written Lïngĕ, Lįngę

• Spanish surname3 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Spain, United States, Panama, Colombia

  Also written Lïngę

• Chinese surname3 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United Kingdom, United States, Norway, China

  Also written Ling-E, Lin-Ge

42 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Linge is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• In English, 2. Norwegian: habitational name from any of several farmsteads in western Norway named with lyng ‘heather’, either on its own, or with the addition of vin ‘meadow’.

  as a name·Dictionary of American Family Names

• In English, Possibly French, from a metonymic occupational name from linge ‘linen goods’, but there is no evidence of surname in North America.

  as a name·Dictionary of American Family Names

• In English, To work hard.

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• In Latin, second-person singular present active imperative of lingō

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• In Irish, present subjunctive analytic of ling

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

• Martin Lingeb. 1894NONorwegian actor and military commander (1894-1941)
• Heinz Lingeb. 1913DESS officer; valet for German dictator Adolf Hitler (1913–1980)
• Herbert Lingeb. 1928DEGerman racing driver

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

31 registers and reference works attest this spelling, across 17 countries.

Register rows as of the 2026-10-09 data build.

Where does the name Linge come from?

habitational name from a place named with Old Low German linge ‘strip of land or water’, or possibly with the river name Linge (this river flows through the Betuwe). See also Lingen. Recorded by Dictionary of American Family Names.

What does the name Linge mean?

Recorded meaning: habitational name from a place named with Old Low German linge ‘strip of land or water’, or possibly with the river name Linge (this river flows through the Betuwe).

Which countries have the most people with the surname Linge?

Mondonomo estimates about 1.2 thousand people named Linge in Germany, more than in any other country we hold, where it is most often spelled linge. After it come Norway, United States, Sweden and United Kingdom; the country table on this page ranks them.

Where is Linge most common?

Measured as a share of residents rather than as a count, Linge is densest in Norway — about 1 in 9.2 thousand people — even though Germany holds more of our records for it.

How common is the name Linge?

In Norway, the national register counted 596 people named Linge, about 1 in 9.2 thousand residents.