'bantling' originates from Middle English, specifically the word 'bantling' (from the element 'bant' + diminutive suffix '-ling'), where 'bant' was used to denote a small child or little one (origin uncertain).

'bantling' changed from Middle English 'bantling' and continued into Early Modern English with little formal change, becoming the modern English 'bantling' (whose plural is 'bantlings').

Initially it meant 'a little child' or sometimes 'a foundling'; over time the word became archaic and is now mainly used in literary or historical contexts with the core meaning 'small child'.