2000
#13,540
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,058
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Lever
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of levers or to a lever operator.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,242 Americans carry the last name Lever. That puts it at #14,620 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 152,879 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lever 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 Lever with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 152,879
Census rank
#14,620
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,955 bearers of the surname Lever in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14620th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lever, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.6%. The next largest groups are Black (11.3%) and Hispanic (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lever
Among Census respondents with the surname Lever, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.6%. The next largest groups are Black (11.3%) and Hispanic (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Lever 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 Lever surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.6% · 1,536
- Black or African American11.3% · 221
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 90
- Two or more races4.0% · 79
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lever
Lever 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
#14,084
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,135
+77 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 544 places
2020
#14,620
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,955
-180 bearers (-8.4%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 536 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,540 | 2,058 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,084 | 2,135 | 0.72 | +77 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 544 places |
| 2020 | #14,620 | 1,955 | 0.65 | -180 bearers (-8.4%) | Down 536 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 Lever 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 | #14,084 | #14,620 | -3.8% |
| Count | 2,135 | 1,955 | -8.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.72 | 0.65 | -9.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lever bearers went from 2,135 to 1,955 (-8.4% change). The surname moved down 536 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,084 to #14,620.
FAQ
Lever surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lever?
Name Census estimates that about 2,242 living Americans carry the surname Lever. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 152,879 residents.
How common is Lever?
Lever ranks #14,620 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 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 1,955 people with the surname Lever. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,242), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 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 Lever.
Has Lever become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lever went from 2,135 recorded bearers to 1,955. That is a decrease of 180 (-8.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,084 to #14,620.
What does the Census say about the background of Lever?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lever, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.6%. The next largest groups are Black (11.3%) and Hispanic (4.6%). 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 Lever in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.6% (1,536 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lever appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.6%), Black (11.3%), Hispanic (4.6%). 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 Lever (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 Lever mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of levers or to a lever operator. 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 Lever (0.65 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 share the surname Lever?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.