St. Leger

Recorded in several forms including the famous Anglo-French and Norman-Irish St. Leger, Ledger, and Leger, and the concentrated Irish spellings of Sallinger or Sallenger, this name can be described as French, but originally of Germanic origins. Whether locational or patronymic it ultimately derives from the pre 7th century Olde German personal name Leodegar composed of the elements "liutr" meaning tribe, plus "gari", a spear. St. Leger, a 7th century martyr and bishop of Autun, contributed to the popularity of the name in France, whilst in Germany the name was connected with a different saint, an 8th Century bishop of Munster. The name was introduced into England by the Normans after 1066, and is first recorded (without surname) in the 1192 Pipe Rolls of Hampshire. The surname was introduced into Ireland in the 13th Century, where it achieved considerable status. Early examples of the surname recording include Sir Antony St. Leger, the Lord Deputy of Ireland in the year 1540, whilst William Ledger and Elizabeth May were married at St. Margarets, Westminster, London, on April 25th 1595. The first recorded spelling of the family name is possibly that of Adam Leger. This was dated 1279, in the "Hundred Rolls" of Cambridgeshire, during the reign of King Edward 1st of England, 1272 - 1307. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop", often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.