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

Levis, 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 Levis surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Levis in America

Levis is the 14806th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Levis surname appeared 2,003 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Levis.

We can also compare 2010 data for Levis 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 Levis

The surname Levis has its origins in France and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French word 'levis', meaning 'levite' or a member of the Hebrew tribe of Levi, who were traditionally associated with religious duties and the priesthood.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval French records and manuscripts from the 12th and 13th centuries. One notable example is the mention of a Robert Levis in a charter from the year 1210, relating to the Cistercian abbey of Vaux-de-Cernay in northern France.

During the Middle Ages, the name was particularly prevalent in the northern regions of France, including Normandy and Brittany. It is also thought to have been adopted by some individuals of Jewish descent, who may have taken on the name as a reference to their ancestral tribe.

Over time, the name spread to other parts of Europe, including England, where it underwent various spelling variations such as Levi, Levy, and Levey. One of the earliest recorded English bearers of the name was William Levi, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1199.

Notable historical figures with the surname Levis include:

1. Jacques de Levis, a French nobleman and military leader who fought in the Albigensian Crusade in the early 13th century.
2. Philippe de Levis, a French cardinal and diplomat who lived from 1436 to 1537.
3. Gilles de Levis, a French knight and courtier who served under King Charles VII in the 15th century.
4. Sir Lewis Levi, an English merchant and financier who lived from 1619 to 1701 and was instrumental in funding the British Empire's expansion.
5. Isaac Adolphe Crémieux, a French lawyer and statesman of Jewish descent who lived from 1796 to 1880 and advocated for Jewish emancipation in France.

The surname Levis has also been associated with various place names throughout history, such as Lévis, a city in Quebec, Canada, which was named after François-Gaston, Duke of Levis, a French nobleman from the 17th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Levis

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

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

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

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