The baby name Ledger was borrowed from a Hollywood leading man, but it’s also a medieval gem, long undiscovered.
Thanks to Kirsten for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
WHAT DOES THE NAME LEDGER MEAN?
The story of the baby name Ledger starts with Germanic roots.
The Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources lists it as Liutgar, along with at least a dozen other recorded forms. Other records list it as Leodegar and Leudagar, typically a combination of the elements liut – people – and gar – spear.
It evolved into the German name Luitger or Leutgar, but those are also both long out of use.
SAINTS LEGER and LUDGER
One of those early bearers of the name served as Bishop of Autun in the seventh century. He died a martyr. His name is recorded as Léger, and it’s been used as a boy’s name in France for years. (Though not in recent years.)
There’s an eighth century Saint Ludger who founded a monastery in Munster. His first name is also recorded as Ludiger. It became Ludgerus in Latin.
The Normans brought it to England, and it evolved from there to the surname Ledger.
MORE MEANINGS FOR THE NAME LEDGER
But what about the book?
We record transactions – usually financial – in a ledger. It started out as a type of physical book of accounts, but they exist (mostly) in electronic form now. The word has been used since at least the late sixteenth century. It seems to come from the Dutch leggen – to place or to lay.
A handful of newspapers used “ledger” in their names, too, fix
As for ledge, that traces its origins to leggen, too, or maybe an Old English word. Perhaps even the Swedish lagg – rim. It might refer to anything from the edge of a cliff to a narrow bookshelf.
Another one to consider: legerdemain, meaning light of hand. It comes from a Middle French phrase meaning light of hand. That’s Léger – the same as the personal name – but the meanings are different.
A few other possible sources for the surname include:
- It could be an occupational surname for a stone mason, again related to the word meaning “to lay.” (In English-speaking countries, the job title was, at least briefly, legger. Though legger was also a job for men who pushed boats through canal tunnels, using their legs.)
- Saint-Leger is a common place name in France, and thus sometimes a surname, too.
A number of long-standing races – for both greyhounds and horses – are named for the original St. Leger Stakes, a horse racing dating to 1776 and named for Anthony St. Leger, who started the whole thing.
HEATH LEDGER
Parents don’t consider the baby name Ledger because of newspapers, though.
And probably not for the medieval saints.
The name’s rise is all down to the late Heath Ledger.
The Australian actor became a star in his home country in the 1990s. By 1999 he was making movies in the United States, and rose to fame in 2001’s A Knight’s Tale. His turn as Ennis Del Mar in 2005’s Brokeback Mountain earned him an Academy Award for Best Actor.
The rise of the name follows his career path. His tragic 2008 death inspired even more to consider the name for their sons.
Some of it is our love of surname names, like Hendrix and Lennon, Lincoln and Kennedy. If a last name like Hudson or Crosby can be used as a given name, there’s no reason Ledger doesn’t wear every bit as well.
HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME LEDGER?
Like many surnames, the baby name Ledger has been used in small numbers.
It debuted in the US Social Security Administration (SSA) data way back in 1923, with five births.
But for most of the twentieth century, no one was choosing the name for their children.
It doesn’t reappear until 2002, after the actor starred in A Knight’s Tale. That year, nine boys received the name.
The baby name Ledger jumped to 61 boys in 2008, the year of the actor’s tragic death. A year later, 95 boys were named Ledger.
By 2017, the name debuted at #974. And as of 2024, it reached #502 – an all-time high on the most popular names list.
HOW DID LEDGER BECOME A FIRST NAME?
It wasn’t just the actor.
In fact, the name Ledger has been in use for years. Late 19th century English cricketer Ledger Hill was born Arthur James Ledger Hill, but known by his second middle name.
Ingrid Law penned a New York Times bestseller titled Scumble, part of her Savvy series. The young adult novel starred a teenage character named Ledger. It was published in August 2010.
But really this was about a trend favoring boy names ending with R.
Consider the current US Top 100 for 2024, which includes similar names:
- R-ending classics like Oliver, Alexander, and Theodore
- Surnames like Carter, Cooper, and Walker
- Names like Asher and Amir that just happen to end with the trending sound
STRONG STANDOUT
Even if the actor gets credit for jump-starting this choice, it’s more than his legacy that propelled the baby name Ledger into wider use.
The baby name Ledger offers an appealing combination. The sound is stylish. It feels a little bit rugged and outdoorsy. It’s modern, but not invented; novel, but not truly new.
If you’re after a strong and uncommon name for a son that feels creative and accomplished, while still speaking to the natural world, the baby name Ledger seems like an unexpected choice that checks all the boxes.
What do you think of the baby name Ledger?
First published May 30, 2018, this post was substantially revised and re-published on September 29, 2021 and again on August 12, 2025.
I really like it, but it feels too doomed because of the Heath association. In Australia, it’d have another element: the nickname Ledge also means a fantastic person (a “legend”).
My first thought was heath ledger to be honest, I think most people would think your a big fan similar to Hendrix.
Ledger sounds cool, but it’s so strongly linked to Heath that it feels tragic.