Find out how popular the last name Leavens is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Leavens.

Leavens, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Leavens surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Leavens in America

Leavens is the 20183rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Leavens surname appeared 1,321 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Leavens.

We can also compare 2010 data for Leavens to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Leavens

The surname Leavens is of English origin, deriving from the Old English word "leaven," which referred to a leavening agent used in baking. It is believed to have been an occupational surname given to bakers or those who worked with yeast or other leavening agents.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the late 12th century, where a "Richard Levene" is mentioned. The name also appears in various other medieval records, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a "John le Levene" is listed.

During the Middle Ages, the name was often spelled in various ways, such as Leven, Levene, and Levyn, reflecting the regional dialects and variations in spelling at the time. The surname may also have been influenced by the Old French word "levain," which had a similar meaning.

In the 16th century, the name began to take on its modern spelling of Leavens, as seen in records from the parish of Woodstock in Oxfordshire, where a "John Leavens" was baptized in 1589.

Notable individuals bearing the Leavens surname include Sir Christopher Leavens (1557-1630), an English merchant and Member of Parliament, and John Leavens (c.1624-1694), an English clergyman and author who wrote on theological subjects.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Massachusetts Bay Colony records from the 17th century, where a "John Leavens" is mentioned as early as 1659.

Other notable individuals with the Leavens surname include Jesse Leavens (1779-1841), an American politician and farmer from New York, and Erasmus Darwin Leavens (1836-1916), a prominent American educator and school administrator from Ohio.

Throughout history, the Leavens surname has been associated with various locations, such as the village of Leven in East Yorkshire, England, and the town of Leven in Fife, Scotland, both of which may have contributed to the development and spread of the surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Leavens

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Leavens.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Leavens was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Leavens has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Leavens was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Leavens, please contact us.

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