Identifying the earliest use of the name Darlington for any individual would tend to lead us to Durham/Northumberland.

The Fawcett Index of Clergy and North Country Families provides some 13th century examples e.g. Peter de Darlington, vicar of Pittington, Durham 1230-1235; Nicholas Darlington, vicar of Morton, Durham 1283-1310; Simon de Darlington, vicar of Bedlington, Northumberland 1315. Other references occur in Scotland in the 1280's( Ada de Darlington, precentor  of Ross in 1281 and Johan de D.  A parson of Dunlopy in Forfar in 1296.

Moving further south there are references in the Preston Guild Rolls of 1397 to John Darlington son of John. In Norris deeds vol 93 there is a John Darlington born  c1310 who appears as a witness to a deed of 1349 and a John D. became a freeman of Chester in 1397. It is in this area that the Darlingtons seem to have proliferated with the village of Whitegate being predominant. From here they spread out to Frodsham, Great Budworth, Northwich, Nantwich and Audley. With the coming of the Industrial Revolution they move further out to the growing conurbations of Manchester and Liverpool.