Type Surname (from given name, from occupation & from nickname)
Other Forms FormsLeodegar, Legier, Letcher, Léger, de Leger
Meaning & History
English: from a Norman personal name, Leodegar, Old French Legier, of Germanic origin, composed of the elements liut ‘people’, ‘tribe’ + gar, ger ‘spear’. The name was borne by a 7th-century bishop of Autun, whose fame contributed to the popularity of the name in France. (In Germany the name was connected with a different saint, an 8th-century bishop of Münster.
Also a variant of Letcher, in part a deliberate alteration to avoid the association with Middle English lecheor ‘lecher’.
French: Variation of Léger. A nickname from léger ‘light’, ‘superficial’.
Dutch (also de Leger): occupational name from Middle Dutch legger, ligger ‘bailiff’, ‘tax collector’.
Also a variant of Letcher, in part a deliberate alteration to avoid the association with Middle English lecheor ‘lecher’.
French: Variation of Léger. A nickname from léger ‘light’, ‘superficial’.
Dutch (also de Leger): occupational name from Middle Dutch legger, ligger ‘bailiff’, ‘tax collector’.