2000
#11,518
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,506
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.93
Rare Last name
Levenson
A Jewish occupational surname derived from the Yiddish word "leven," meaning "lion."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,561 Americans carry the last name Levenson. That puts it at #13,131 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 133,836 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Levenson surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Levenson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 133,836
Census rank
#13,131
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,233 bearers of the surname Levenson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13131st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Levenson, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Levenson
The surname Levenson is of Jewish origin, derived from the Hebrew name "Levi." The name first appeared in Central and Eastern Europe, particularly in areas with large Jewish populations such as Poland, Russia, and Germany.
The name Levi itself is rooted in the biblical figure of Levi, one of the twelve sons of Jacob and the ancestor of the priestly tribe of Levites in ancient Israel. The name Levenson emerged as a patronymic surname, indicating descent from someone named Levi.
Historical records show the name Levenson appearing in various forms, such as Levinzon, Levinzohn, and Levinsohn, reflecting regional linguistic variations and spelling conventions. In some regions, the name was also Germanized to Levinstein or Levinstein.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Levenson can be found in the Pinkas (record book) of the Jewish community in Kraków, Poland, dating back to the 16th century. The name appears in various legal documents and community records from that period onwards.
Notable individuals with the surname Levenson throughout history include:
1. Isaac Levenson (1588-1658), a Polish-Jewish rabbi and scholar who authored several influential works on Jewish law and ethics.
2. Mordecai Levenson (1742-1810), a Russian-Jewish philanthropist and businessman who funded the construction of synagogues and schools in St. Petersburg.
3. Sarah Levenson (1857-1932), a British-Jewish author and activist who advocated for women's rights and education.
4. Boris Levenson (1884-1942), a Russian-Jewish architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Moscow and St. Petersburg before fleeing the Soviet Union.
5. Samuel Levenson (1911-1980), an American writer and teacher known for his humorous works on Jewish life and culture.
The name Levenson has also been associated with various place names, particularly in Eastern Europe, where Jewish communities were historically concentrated. For example, the town of Levenets in Belarus was once home to a significant Jewish population and may have derived its name from the surname Levenson.
While the surname Levenson has its roots in Jewish tradition and history, it has since spread worldwide and is now found among diverse communities and cultures. However, its origins and the historical significance of the name remain tied to the Jewish diaspora and the rich cultural heritage of the Levites.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Levenson
Among Census respondents with the surname Levenson, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Levenson bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Levenson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 2,047
- Two or more races3.2% · 72
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 58
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 37
- Black or African American0.6% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Levenson
Levenson appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#12,255
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,538
+32 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 737 places
2020
#13,131
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,233
-305 bearers (-12.0%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 876 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,518 | 2,506 | 0.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,255 | 2,538 | 0.86 | +32 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 737 places |
| 2020 | #13,131 | 2,233 | 0.75 | -305 bearers (-12.0%) | Down 876 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Levenson surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #12,255 | #13,131 | -7.1% |
| Count | 2,538 | 2,233 | -12.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.86 | 0.75 | -13.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Levenson bearers went from 2,538 to 2,233 (-12.0% change). The surname moved down 876 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,255 to #13,131.
FAQ
Levenson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Levenson?
Name Census estimates that about 2,561 living Americans carry the surname Levenson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 133,836 residents.
How common is Levenson?
Levenson ranks #13,131 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,233 people with the surname Levenson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,561), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.75 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Levenson.
Has Levenson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Levenson went from 2,538 recorded bearers to 2,233. That is a decrease of 305 (-12.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,255 to #13,131.
What does the Census say about the background of Levenson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Levenson, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Levenson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (2,047 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Levenson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (2.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Levenson (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Levenson mean?
A Jewish occupational surname derived from the Yiddish word "leven," meaning "lion." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Levenson (0.75 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Levenson?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.