Pightling Family History

of uncertain origin. It looks like a locative name but no suitable one in or near E Anglia has been identified. In spite of the 1566 Herts example cited below it seems doubtful that it is from Peatling (Leics) whose spellings always have -e- never -i- or -y-.

Its derived surname is consistently spelled Peatling(e) in IGI and is not found in Norfolk or Suffolk. It could alternatively be a relationship name from an unrecorded Middle English personal name *Pightling.

This would be a survival of a hypothetical Old English *Pēohtling a pet form of an unrecorded Old English *Pēohtel or *Pēohtla the name that forms the first element of the place-name Peatling.

In Pightling Old English ēo will have been simplified and raised to /i:/ in Middle English rather than /e:/ as in Peatling. Medieval forms of the name are needed to resolve the uncertainty.