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

Levin, 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 Levin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Levin in America

Levin is the 1876th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Levin surname appeared 19,144 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname Levin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Levin 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 Levin

The surname Levin is of Russian origin and can be traced back to the late 17th century. It is derived from the Hebrew name Levi, which means "joined" or "attached". The name was initially adopted by Jewish families residing in the Russian Empire, particularly in the areas of modern-day Ukraine and Belarus.

The earliest known record of the Levin surname appears in the Revishin Books, which were census records of the Jewish population in the Russian Empire during the late 17th and early 18th centuries. These records documented the spread of the Levin name across various towns and villages in the Pale of Settlement, a region designated for Jewish residency within the Russian Empire.

One of the most notable figures with the Levin surname was Isaac Baer Levin (1828-1886), a renowned Russian-Jewish mathematician and educator. He made significant contributions to the field of mathematics and played a crucial role in the development of the modern education system in Russia.

Another prominent individual with the Levin surname was Yuri Levin (1935-2018), a Russian physicist and astrophysicist. He was renowned for his work on gravitational waves and black hole physics, and his contributions were recognized with numerous awards and honors.

In the realm of literature, the Levin surname is associated with the acclaimed Russian writer Leonid Levin (1904-1972). His works, which often explored themes of Jewish identity and the Soviet experience, earned him widespread recognition and a place among the most influential Russian writers of the 20th century.

The Levin surname also has a strong connection to the world of music. One notable figure is the Russian-American composer and pianist Vladimir Levin (1898-1960), whose compositions blended elements of Russian folk music with classical traditions.

Finally, it is worth mentioning David Levin (1942-2019), an American businessman and philanthropist. He co-founded the prestigious private equity firm Warburg Pincus and was widely respected for his leadership and philanthropic efforts in various fields, including education and the arts.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Levin

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

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

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

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