2000
#4,915
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,569
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.44
Rare Last name
Levi
Derived from the Hebrew tribal name meaning "joined" or "attached," likely referring to the Levites, a tribe of Jewish priests.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,799 Americans carry the last name Levi. That puts it at #4,486 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,954 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Levi 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 Levi with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.8K
1 in 38,954
Census rank
#4,486
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,673 bearers of the surname Levi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4486th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Levi, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.9%. The next largest groups are Black (17.7%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Levi
Levi is a surname of Hebrew origin, derived from the ancient Hebrew tribe of Levi. The name is believed to have originated in the Middle East, specifically in the region known as the Levant, which includes modern-day Israel, Lebanon, Syria, and parts of Jordan and Egypt.
The name Levi has its roots in the biblical figure of Levi, one of the twelve sons of the patriarch Jacob. According to the Book of Genesis, Levi was one of the progenitors of the Israelite tribe that bore his name, known as the Tribe of Levi. This tribe was set apart for religious duties and was not granted a territorial inheritance in the Promised Land.
In ancient Hebrew texts and manuscripts, such as the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Hebrew Bible, the name Levi appears frequently, referring to members of the Levite tribe. It is also mentioned in the Talmud, a central text of Rabbinic Judaism, which discusses the roles and responsibilities of the Levites.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Levi as a surname can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This suggests that the name was already in use as a surname among Jewish communities in England during the 11th century.
Notable individuals throughout history who bore the surname Levi include:
1. David Levi (1742-1801), a British-Jewish writer and scholar, known for his work on Hebrew grammar and lexicography.
2. Primo Levi (1919-1987), an Italian Jewish chemist, Holocaust survivor, and renowned author, best known for his memoir "Survival in Auschwitz."
3. Elijah Levi (1460-1549), a renowned rabbi and scholar from Constantinople, who authored several influential works on Jewish law and philosophy.
4. Gershon Levi (1888-1964), an Israeli linguist and Semitic scholar, known for his contributions to the study of the Hebrew language and its historical development.
5. Rita Levi-Montalcini (1909-2012), an Italian Nobel Prize-winning neurologist and senator, who made significant contributions to the field of neurobiology and the study of nerve growth factors.
Throughout its history, the surname Levi has been associated with various place names and older spellings, such as Levie, Levye, and Levin, which are variations found in different regions and languages. These variations often reflect local linguistic influences or adaptations of the original Hebrew name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Levi
Among Census respondents with the surname Levi, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.9%. The next largest groups are Black (17.7%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Levi 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 Levi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.9% · 5,290
- Black or African American17.7% · 1,358
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 362
- Two or more races3.4% · 263
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 223
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.3% · 177
Timeline
Historical Census data for Levi
Levi 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
#4,731
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,500
+931 bearers (+14.2%)
Per 100,000 2.54
Rank movement Up 184 places
2020
#4,486
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,673
+173 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 2.57
Rank movement Up 245 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,915 | 6,569 | 2.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,731 | 7,500 | 2.54 | +931 bearers (+14.2%) | Up 184 places |
| 2020 | #4,486 | 7,673 | 2.57 | +173 bearers (+2.3%) | Up 245 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 Levi 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 | #4,731 | #4,486 | 5.2% |
| Count | 7,500 | 7,673 | 2.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.54 | 2.57 | 1.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Levi bearers went from 7,500 to 7,673 (+2.3% change). The surname moved up 245 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,731 to #4,486.
FAQ
Levi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Levi?
Name Census estimates that about 8,799 living Americans carry the surname Levi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,954 residents.
How common is Levi?
Levi ranks #4,486 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.57 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,673 people with the surname Levi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,799), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.57 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Levi.
Has Levi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Levi went from 7,500 recorded bearers to 7,673. That is an increase of 173 (+2.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,731 to #4,486.
What does the Census say about the background of Levi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Levi, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.9%. The next largest groups are Black (17.7%) and Hispanic (4.7%). 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 Levi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.9% (5,290 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Levi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.9%), Black (17.7%), Hispanic (4.7%). 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 Levi (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 Levi mean?
Derived from the Hebrew tribal name meaning "joined" or "attached," likely referring to the Levites, a tribe of Jewish priests. 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 Levi (2.57 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 Levi?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.