2000
#10,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,722
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.01
Rare Last name
Leverette
A surname of French origin, derived from the Old French word "levrette," meaning a female greyhound or hunting dog.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,392 Americans carry the last name Leverette. That puts it at #10,356 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.99 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 101,048 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Leverette 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.
Bearers in the US
3.4K
1 in 101,048
Census rank
#10,356
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,958 bearers of the surname Leverette in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.99 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10356th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Leverette, the largest self-reported group is Black at 56.1%. The next largest groups are White (37.0%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Leverette
The surname Leverette is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be a variant of the French surname Lefèvre, which means "the smith" or "the blacksmith." This name likely evolved from the Old French word "fèvre," derived from the Latin word "faber," meaning "craftsman" or "artisan."
The earliest known record of the Leverette surname dates back to the late 13th century in the county of Shropshire, England. In 1296, a man named John Leverett was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of that county. It is possible that this name was originally a locational surname, referring to someone who lived near a smithy or a blacksmith's workshop.
In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, such as Leverett, Leveret, and Leverett, reflecting the inconsistencies in spelling during that era. One notable early bearer of this name was Sir John Leverett, who served as a member of Parliament for Hertfordshire in the late 1300s.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Leverette surname became more widespread across England, particularly in the counties of Essex, Suffolk, and Norfolk. In 1620, a man named William Leverett immigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in America, where he became a prominent figure in the early years of the colony's history.
Throughout the centuries, several individuals with the surname Leverette have made their mark in various fields. John Leverett (1616-1679) was an early colonial governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Thomas Leverett (1624-1676) was a military officer who fought in King Philip's War against Native American tribes. Hudson Leverett (1802-1874) was a prominent lawyer and politician in Mississippi.
Other notable figures bearing this surname include the composer and organist John Leveridge (1662-1758), who composed several operas and songs in the Baroque era, and the British politician and diplomat Ralph Leveridge (1867-1954), who served as the Governor of the Leeward Islands from 1911 to 1916.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Leverette
Among Census respondents with the surname Leverette, the largest self-reported group is Black at 56.1%. The next largest groups are White (37.0%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Leverette 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 Leverette surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American56.1% · 1,660
- White37.0% · 1,093
- Two or more races4.3% · 127
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 68
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Leverette
Leverette 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
#10,782
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,958
+236 bearers (+8.7%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Down 25 places
2020
#10,356
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,958
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Up 426 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,757 | 2,722 | 1.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,782 | 2,958 | 1.00 | +236 bearers (+8.7%) | Down 25 places |
| 2020 | #10,356 | 2,958 | 0.99 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 426 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 Leverette 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 | #10,782 | #10,356 | 4.0% |
| Count | 2,958 | 2,958 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.00 | 0.99 | -1.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Leverette bearers went from 2,958 to 2,958 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 426 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,782 to #10,356.
FAQ
Leverette surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Leverette?
Name Census estimates that about 3,392 living Americans carry the surname Leverette. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 101,048 residents.
How common is Leverette?
Leverette ranks #10,356 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.99 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 2,958 people with the surname Leverette. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,392), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.99 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.99 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 Leverette.
Has Leverette become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Leverette went from 2,958 recorded bearers to 2,958. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,782 to #10,356.
What does the Census say about the background of Leverette?
Among Census respondents with the surname Leverette, the largest self-reported group is Black at 56.1%. The next largest groups are White (37.0%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Leverette in the 2020 Census, accounting for 56.1% (1,660 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Leverette appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (56.1%), White (37.0%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Leverette (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 Leverette mean?
A surname of French origin, derived from the Old French word "levrette," meaning a female greyhound or hunting dog. 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 Leverette (0.99 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 Leverette?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.