Erling is a Nordic male name, meaning "Heir of clanchief", i.e. prince or similar. Notable people named Erling include:
- Erling Eidem, Swedish theologian who served as archbishop of Uppsala 1931–1950
- Erling Lorentzen of Norwegian royalty
- Erling Dekke Næss, controlled the first OBO carrier, proposed the Norwegian International Ship Register
- Erling Persson, founder of H&M
- Erling Skakke, 13th century Norwegian earl
- Erling Steinvegg, candidate of Bagler to the Norwegian throne from 1204 to 1207
- Erling von Mende, professor of Sinology at FU Berlin
- Erling Wold, contemporary American composer
- Tapani Erling, political chairman of the World Customs Organization.
Erling could also refer to the following places::
- Erling, Danyang, Jiangsu (珥陵镇), town in Danyang City, Jiangsu, China
- Erling, Bavaria, village at the foot of the Benedictine Abbey in Andechs municipality, Bavaria, Germany