Leavitt
A surname likely derived from the Middle English word "leave", referring to the foliage of trees.
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Leavitt. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Leavitt today is around 4 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Leavitt births was 2023 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Leavitt. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Leavitt. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
2023
6 babies that year
Average age
4
years old
2023 SSA rank
#11,666
Tracked since 1923
Popularity
Leavitt: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Leavitt from the 1920s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 11 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Leavitt by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Leavitt during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Leavitt
The name Leavitt has its origins in the Old English language, specifically from the word "læfede," which means "beloved" or "dear one." This name is believed to have emerged in the Anglo-Saxon period, around the 5th to 11th centuries AD, when Old English was the predominant language spoken in what is now England.
The earliest recorded use of the name Leavitt dates back to the 11th century, appearing in the Domesday Book, a historical record commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This document contains a record of landowners in England at the time, including individuals with the name Leavitt or variations such as Levet or Levett.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Leavitt was Leavitt de Burgate, a Norman nobleman who lived in the 12th century. He was granted lands in Lincolnshire, England, for his service to King Henry II.
In the 13th century, there is a record of a Leavitt de Burgh, who was a member of the influential de Burgh family and held lands in Ireland. This family played a significant role in the Norman conquest of Ireland and the establishment of English rule in the region.
During the Renaissance period, a notable figure named Leavitt Burnham (1505-1576) was an English painter and illustrator known for his detailed portraits and religious works. His art can be found in various churches and museums across England.
Another prominent individual with the name Leavitt was Sir Leavitt Stanhope (1628-1698), an English politician and diplomat who served as the ambassador to the Netherlands and Spain during the reign of King Charles II.
In the 18th century, Leavitt Thaxter (1744-1816) was an American Revolutionary War soldier and farmer from Massachusetts. He fought in several key battles, including the Battle of Bunker Hill and the Battle of Saratoga.
Throughout history, the name Leavitt has maintained a connection to its Old English roots, carrying the essence of being "beloved" or "dear one." While not a widely popular name, it has been carried by notable individuals across various fields, leaving their mark on the historical record.
People
Leavitt + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Leavitt as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Leavitt: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Leavitt?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Leavitt going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Leavitt a common name?
We classify Leavitt as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 16 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Leavitt most popular?
The single biggest year for Leavitt was 2023, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Leavitt is about 4 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Leavitt in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Leavitt a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Leavitt in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Leavitt still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Leavitt in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Leavitt can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many Americans are named Leavitt?
Want to know how many people have the name Leavitt? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.