Ledder History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Anglo-Saxon name Ledder comes from when its first bearer worked as a drover; a driver of a cart or vehicle carrying cargo of one kind or another. Further research revealed that the name is derived from the Old English word lædere, which meant leader, because of course the driver had to lead the horses pulling the cart. 1 Occupational names that were derived from the common trades of the medieval era transcended European cultural and linguistic boundaries. Occupational names have remained fairly common in the modern period. This is attested to by the continuing appearance of occupational suffixes at the end of many English surnames. Some of these suffixes include: herd, monger, maker, hewer, smith, and wright. Similarly, surnames of office, which include military, judicial, papal and other positions of authority, are widespread throughout Europe. Those who were involved in the military, or feudal armies, were given names such as the English surname Archer, the French name Chevalier and the German name Jeger, which means hunter. Names that were derived from judicial and papal titles, such as Bailiff, Squire and Abbott, are still commonly seen with the same surname spelling today.

Early Origins of the Ledder family

The surname Ledder was first found in Durham where one of the first records of the name was Ralph Ledere who was listed in the Assize Rolls of 1243. Later, Henry le Leeder was listed at Pichbeck, Suffolk in 1328. 2

From these early entries for the family, we move forward many years to find Richard Ledar, rector of Fouldon, Norfolk in 1519 and Thomas Leader held lands in Norfolk in 1654. 3 Leeder was the name of the rector of Hale church in 1566. 4

Early History of the Ledder family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ledder research. Another 111 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1243, 1553, 1558, 1601, 1688, 1767, 1771, 1798, 1810, 1812, 1818, 1823, 1826, 1828, 1885 and 1903 are included under the topic Early Ledder History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ledder Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Ledder include Leader, Leeder and others.

Early Notables of the Ledder family

Another 43 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Ledder Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Ledder family to Ireland

Some of the Ledder family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ledder migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Ledder or a variant listed above:

Ledder Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Ledder, who landed in Texas in 1867 5

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. Print
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)