We have a clue to the meaning behind Erling's name in earlier drafts for the Gamgee family genealogy in volume XII of The History of Middle-earth, where the name is given the form Erdling. In Old English, erdling (or yrðling) was literally 'earthling', in the sense of someone connected to the earth or soil. The term could be used in a general way for 'farmer', but was also used in a more specific sense to denote 'ploughman'.
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