Recorded in many forms including Watling, Whatlin, Whatling, and the dialectals Wantling and Wantlin, this is an English surname. It has at least three possible origins. Firstly, it may derive from the pre 7th century patronymic name Hwaetling, meaning active, bold or brave, plus "-ing", a suffix denoting "son(s) of". This personal name is the first element in Whatlington near Battle in Sussex, recorded as "Watlingetone" in the Domesday Book of 1086. The forenames Whatlingus, Watlin and Wathling (without surname) also appear in the 12th century records of County Durham. Alternatively, the surname may derive from the Medieval English "Watelin", a double diminutive of Walter from the Old German Waldhar, composed of the elements "wald", meaning rule and "hari", an army. Finally it may have originated as a topographical name from residence by Watling Street, a Roman military road which extended from the east coast of Kent into North Wales. One, John de Wateling was noted in the Hundred Rolls of Suffolk in 1273. On May 5th 1623 Margery Watling, was christened at All Hallows church, Bread Street, in the city of London, whilst on March 23rd 1642 Steven Wantlyn is recorded at St Olaves, Hart Street, also in the cioty of London. The first recorded spelling of the family name is possibly that of Geoffrey Wateling, in the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk in 1272, during the reign of King Edward 1st known as The Hammer of the Scots", 1272 - 1307. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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