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Sperling Surname Meaning & Origin

What the Sperling last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.

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Meaning and origin of the Sperling last name

Meaning of the Sperling last name: a nickname from the sparrow. Sperling, the German word for sparrow, began as a nickname, perhaps for a small or lively man, or from a house sign. The surname is spread across Germany, notably in the east and north. Jewish families also adopted this last name independently in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Arms associated with the Sperling name

Sharing a surname establishes no coat of arms entitlement; heraldry follows documented individual lineages.

Get your full Sperling family history

This is only a glimpse of the Sperling story. The full Sperling history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Sperling coat of arms. Get the full Sperling report.

Sperling name FAQ

What does the Sperling name mean?

A nickname from the sparrow.

Where does the Sperling surname come from?

It originates in Germany, and is also found in the United States and Canada.

Is there a Sperling coat of arms?

Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Sperling coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.

Sources: Elsdon C. Smith, Dictionary of American Family Names (1956), individual surname entries; modern indexed dictionary entries supersede conflicting interpretations.; Forebears, Surnam.es and individual surname distribution references.