Karlin — Family Name, Records and Arms

The Karlin last name has Russian roots. In Elsdon Smith's reading, the name described “descendant of little Karl (man)”. It is a patronymic: it named a person after a father or forebear. Smith also lists Karlinsky.

2,493 Americans were listed as Karlin in the 2010 census. Karlin sounds close to Carlin and Carlini, so it can help to search both.

Heraldry is personal. Arms recorded for a Karlin family belonged to that family, and other bearers of the name may have no link to them. Want more than a summary? See the Karlin family name pack.