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

Lever, 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 Lever surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lever in America

Lever is the 14084th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lever surname appeared 2,135 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Lever.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lever 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 Lever

The surname Lever is believed to have originated in England, specifically in the northern counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire. It is derived from the Old English word "laefre," which means a small wooden bar or lever used for moving heavy objects.

Historically, the name Lever was often associated with trades or occupations that involved the use of levers, such as carpenters, blacksmiths, or workers in the mining and quarrying industries. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century, where it appeared in various forms, including Levre, Lever, and Levere.

One of the earliest known references to the name Lever is found in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire, dating back to 1301. The rolls list a person named Robertus Le Levre, indicating the occupation-based origin of the surname.

In the 15th century, the name Lever appeared in the records of the Corpus Christi Guild of York, which documented the names of members of various trades and professions in the city. This suggests that individuals with the surname Lever were likely involved in skilled crafts or professions requiring the use of levers or related tools.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Lever. One of the earliest was John Lever (c. 1370-1440), an English theologian and scholar who served as the Master of Pembroke College, Cambridge. Another significant figure was Sir Ashton Lever (1729-1788), an English naturalist and collector renowned for his extensive collection of natural history specimens, which later became part of the British Museum.

In the literary world, Charles James Lever (1806-1872) was an Irish novelist and author best known for his novels set in Ireland, including "Charles O'Malley" and "Tom Burke of Ours." William Hesketh Lever (1851-1925), a British industrialist and philanthropist, founded the famous Lever Brothers soap company, which later became part of Unilever.

Another notable individual was Samuel Lever (1820-1897), an English industrialist and engineer who played a crucial role in the development of the cotton-spinning industry in the city of Bolton, Lancashire. His contributions to the industry earned him the nickname "The Cotton King."

These are just a few examples of the individuals who have borne the surname Lever throughout history, reflecting its origins in various trades, professions, and industries that utilized levers and related tools.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lever

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

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 Lever 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 Lever 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 Lever was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!