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

Levi, 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 Levi surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Levi in America

Levi is the 4731st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Levi surname appeared 7,500 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Levi.

We can also compare 2010 data for Levi 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 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.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Levi

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

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

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

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