2000
#14,250
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,931
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.72
Rare Last name
Levins
Derived from the Hebrew name "Levi," referring to a descendant of the biblical tribe of Levi.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,183 Americans carry the last name Levins. That puts it at #14,916 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 157,011 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Levins 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 Levins with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 157,011
Census rank
#14,916
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,904 bearers of the surname Levins in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14916th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Levins, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.9%. The next largest groups are Black (15.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Levins
The surname Levins is of English origin, derived from the medieval given name Leven, itself a diminutive form of the name Levi. The name Levi derives from the Hebrew word "Levi," meaning "joined" or "attached," referring to one of the twelve tribes of Israel.
The earliest known record of the Levins surname dates back to the late 13th century in the county of Yorkshire, England. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 mention a Willelmus filius Leuen, or William, son of Leven, residing in Yorkshire during that time.
In the early 14th century, the Levins surname appeared in various historical records, such as the Yorkshire Poll Tax Returns of 1379, which listed several individuals with the surname Levyns or Levyngs, likely variations of the same name.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the Levins surname. However, it does mention several places with similar-sounding names, such as Leventon in Berkshire and Levinton in Yorkshire, which may have contributed to the development of the Levins surname over time.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Levins surname was John Levins, a prominent English author and scholar born around 1540. He is best known for his work titled "The Pathway to Knowledge," published in 1596, which was a popular book on natural history and science during the Elizabethan era.
Another notable figure was Sir Creswell Levins (1601-1661), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Worcestershire during the English Civil War. He was a staunch Royalist and actively supported King Charles I's cause against the Parliamentarians.
In the 18th century, Robert Levins (1722-1802) was a celebrated English architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Church of St. George in the East and the Royal Mint.
During the 19th century, William Levins (1825-1892) was a renowned English botanist and horticulturist. He made significant contributions to the study of plant physiology and was credited with introducing several new plant species to England from other parts of the world.
Finally, in the early 20th century, Henry Levins (1901-1978) was a prominent English businessman and philanthropist. He founded the Levins Corporation, a successful manufacturing company, and donated generously to various charitable causes throughout his lifetime.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Levins
Among Census respondents with the surname Levins, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.9%. The next largest groups are Black (15.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Levins 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 Levins surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.9% · 1,464
- Black or African American15.7% · 299
- Two or more races3.6% · 69
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 52
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Levins
Levins 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
#13,316
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,291
+360 bearers (+18.6%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Up 934 places
2020
#14,916
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,904
-387 bearers (-16.9%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 1,600 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,250 | 1,931 | 0.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,316 | 2,291 | 0.78 | +360 bearers (+18.6%) | Up 934 places |
| 2020 | #14,916 | 1,904 | 0.64 | -387 bearers (-16.9%) | Down 1,600 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 Levins 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 | #13,316 | #14,916 | -12.0% |
| Count | 2,291 | 1,904 | -16.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.78 | 0.64 | -18.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Levins bearers went from 2,291 to 1,904 (-16.9% change). The surname moved down 1,600 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,316 to #14,916.
FAQ
Levins surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Levins?
Name Census estimates that about 2,183 living Americans carry the surname Levins. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 157,011 residents.
How common is Levins?
Levins ranks #14,916 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 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 1,904 people with the surname Levins. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,183), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 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 Levins.
Has Levins become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Levins went from 2,291 recorded bearers to 1,904. That is a decrease of 387 (-16.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,316 to #14,916.
What does the Census say about the background of Levins?
Among Census respondents with the surname Levins, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.9%. The next largest groups are Black (15.7%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Levins in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.9% (1,464 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Levins appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.9%), Black (15.7%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Levins (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 Levins mean?
Derived from the Hebrew name "Levi," referring to a descendant of the biblical tribe of Levi. 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 Levins (0.64 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 common is the surname Levins?
You can see how common the surname Levins is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.