Levana
An Italian feminine name meaning "rising", derived from the Latin "levare".
Name Census estimates that about 214 living Americans carry the first name Levana. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Levana today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Levana births was 2020 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Levana. 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.
People living today
214
~ 1 in 1,601,656 Americans
Peak year
2020
18 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,411
Tracked since 1977
Popularity
Levana: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Levana from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 79 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
Levana 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 Levana during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Levanas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Levana
The given name Levana has its origins in Latin, derived from the word "levare" meaning "to raise" or "to lift up". It was originally associated with the Roman goddess of the same name, who was believed to protect newborn infants during the ritual of lifting them from the ground.
In ancient Roman mythology, Levana was one of the birth deities, along with Vagitanus and Cunina. She was specifically invoked during the ceremony where the newborn child was lifted from the ground, symbolizing the acceptance of the infant into the family and society.
The earliest recorded use of the name Levana dates back to the 1st century AD, when it appeared in writings by the Roman historian Pliny the Elder. He mentioned Levana as one of the deities associated with childbirth and the protection of infants.
Throughout history, the name Levana has been borne by several notable individuals. One of the earliest was Levana of Saxony (1098-1151), a German noblewoman and the wife of Count Dedi IV of Wettin. Another notable bearer was Levana Krinsky (1872-1944), a Russian-born American author and educator known for her contributions to children's literature.
In the 16th century, the German philosopher and educator Johann Gottlieb Fichte (1762-1814) wrote a influential work titled "The Science of Rights" in which he introduced the concept of "Levana", personifying education as a spiritual guide and protector of children.
More recently, Levana Pijl (1905-1995) was a Dutch journalist and author who wrote extensively about women's issues and was a prominent figure in the feminist movement in the Netherlands.
Another noteworthy bearer of the name was Levana Finley (1935-2023), an American civil rights activist and community organizer who played a significant role in the struggle for racial equality and social justice in the United States.
Throughout its history, the name Levana has maintained a connection to the themes of protection, nurturing, and guidance, reflecting its roots in the ancient Roman goddess who watched over newborn children.
People
Levana + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Levana 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
Levana: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Levana?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 214 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Levana 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 1,601,656 US residents.
Is Levana a common name?
We classify Levana as "Very Rare". It ranks above 75.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 217 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Levana most popular?
The single biggest year for Levana was 2020, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Levana is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Levana a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Levana in the SSA data are female. 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.
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.