The surname of AYLING was a baptismal name 'the son of Aylwin' an ancient although now forgotten personal name. The name was originally derived from the Old English word AOLING, meaning 'noble' and this word was commonly used as a byname among the Anglo-Saxons before and after the Norman Conquest of 1066. Early records of the name mention Richard Alewyn, County Wiltshire, 1273. Edward Aylinge of Yorkshire, was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax of 1379. Reginald Aylweyn was rector of Dickleburgh, County Norfolk, in the year 1394. William Aylwin and Mary Wright were married at St. George's, Hanover Square, London in the year 1769. Originally the coat of arms identified the wearer, either in battle or in tournaments. Completely covered in body and facial armour the knight could be spotted and known by the insignia painted on his shield, and embroidered on his surcoat, the draped garment which enveloped him. Between the 11th and 15th centuries it became customary for surnames to be assumed in Europe, but were not commonplace in England or Scotland before the Norman Conquest of 1066. They are to be found in the Domesday Book of 1086. Those of gentler blood assumed surnames at this time, but it was not until the reign of Edward II (1307-1327) that they became common practice amongst all people. The name has many variant spellings which include Aylwyn, Alwin and Alwine. It has long been a matter of doubt when the bearing of coats of arms first became hereditary and it was not until the Crusades that Heraldry came into general use. Men went into battle heavily armed and were difficult to recognise. It became the custom for them to adorn their helmets with distinctive crests, and to paint their shields with animals and the like. Coats of arms accompanied the development of surnames, becoming hereditary in the same way. Most of the European surnames were formed in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. The process had started somewhat earlier and had continued in some places into the 19th century, but the norm is that in the tenth and eleventh centuries people did not have surnames, whereas by the fifteenth century most of the population had acquired a second name.