This is a very interesting surname which is apparently 'English' although in this spelling does not seem to have been recorded in England before the 20th century. All surnames at their inception had a meaning or spelling which was logical, or appeared so at the time. They were often occupational and described the business or professional or skill of the nameholder, or they were perhaps locational from a place, usually the former home of the nameholder. However Ledgister is apparently neither, nor does it seem to be a nickname or a patronymic, and even less is it biblical although it may have Roman (Latin) antecedents. In spelling it seems to be nearest to Legister, a very rare early surname of French origins, probably first recorded in the county of Lincolnshire in 1332 with that of Robert Legister. A legister was a man of letters from legere to write, so he could have been a clerk or an early lawyer. If the latter it is surprising that 'Legister' is so rare given the growth rate in the number of 'lawyers' over the following centuries. The church registers for the parish of St Elizabeths, Jamaica, in 1692, has the birth entry of John Ledgister and W. Ledgister, who were presumably twin brothers. Seemingly the parents are not recorded, but it is logical that these parents or grand parents came from the British Isles sometime in the previous fifty years. The question we cannot answer is - From where did the Ledgister originate, and what was the original spelling of the name assuming it was not Ledgister?

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