Fun Facts About the Name Ledger
- More than 4 thousand babies named Ledger: U.S. records list 4,996 babies given the name Ledger from 1880 through 2025. Even 31 girls received the name Ledger - about 1 girl for every 160 boys.
What Does the Name Ledger Mean?
Ledger is an English surname that is now also used as a given name. English surname references give more than one explanation for it. The most common treats it as an occupational name for a bookkeeper or keeper of accounts, from the Middle English ledger (also spelled legger), the word for a large account book. That noun comes from leggen, "to lay," because such a book lay flat rather than standing or folding. A second explanation derives the surname from the Old French legier, meaning "light" or "nimble," used as a nickname. A third and less certain explanation links it to the Norman personal name that produced Léger, which goes back to the Germanic name Leodegar. The literal meaning therefore depends on which derivation applies to a particular family, and the exact origin is uncertain.
Ledger Name History & Origins
The word ledger is recorded in English in the late Middle Ages as a term for an account book, and the surname Ledger appears in England in the medieval period. Surnames taken from an occupation were common, and a name given to someone who kept accounts or handled such books is one likely source. Nicknames and borrowed personal names were also common sources of surnames, which is why more than one explanation survives. Spelling was not fixed in the Middle Ages, so records contain forms such as Leger, Ledger, and Legger.
Ledger is mainly a family name. Its use as a first name follows the long English-speaking practice of turning surnames into given names, as with Parker, Hunter, and Sawyer. The Australian actor Heath Ledger bore Ledger as a surname, which made the word familiar to many people; that association is separate from the name's origin and does not show when it was first used as a given name.
How Popular is the Name Ledger?
Ledger recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2024. Its best rank was #502 in 2024.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | #16,584 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2023 | #14,396 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2022 | #11,786 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2021 | #14,481 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2020 | #14,385 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #554 | 541 | 0.0317% |
| 2024 | #502 | 606 | 0.0353% |
| 2023 | #560 | 518 | 0.0303% |
| 2022 | #594 | 478 | 0.0274% |
| 2021 | #575 | 486 | 0.0278% |
| 2020 | #631 | 425 | 0.0246% |
| 2019 | #833 | 271 | 0.0151% |
| 2018 | #833 | 267 | 0.0147% |
| 2017 | #975 | 212 | 0.0115% |
| 2016 | #1,181 | 161 | 0.0085% |
| 2015 | #1,171 | 159 | 0.0083% |
| 2014 | #1,080 | 179 | 0.0093% |
| 2013 | #1,091 | 170 | 0.0090% |
| 2012 | #1,723 | 88 | 0.0046% |
| 2011 | #1,956 | 71 | 0.0037% |
| 2010 | #1,907 | 75 | 0.0039% |
| 2009 | #1,661 | 95 | 0.0048% |
| 2008 | #2,198 | 61 | 0.0030% |
| 2007 | #4,198 | 24 | 0.0012% |
| 2006 | #4,614 | 20 | 0.0010% |
| 2005 | #10,927 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2004 | #6,371 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2003 | #5,748 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2002 | #7,408 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1927 | #4,527 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1926 | #3,275 | 8 | 0.0007% |
| 1923 | #4,592 | 5 | 0.0005% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Ledger Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You always bring to completion anything you start. You are generous but like to see returns from your giving. You have an executive ability, you are a leader. You are moral, balanced, honest and intellectual, and you may attain spirituality. You are wise and practical with an appreciation of beauty. You always think before you act. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
You find the best contentment in life when you own your own home and provide well for your family and loved ones. You have a great sense of responsibility and duty. You are comforting, appreciative and affectionate. Your obligation in life is to hold justice and truth, and if you follow the Law, you can find the great happiness and satisfaction.
✦ Ledger's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Ledger's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.