2000
#118,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 135
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Levita
A surname derived from the Latin "levita" meaning a member of the priestly Levite tribe in ancient Israel.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Levita. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Levita 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.
Bearers in the US
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Levita in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Levita, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (36.8%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Levita
The surname Levita is of Jewish origin and is derived from the Hebrew word "Levi," which means "joined" or "attached." The Levites were members of the Hebrew tribe of Levi, who were traditionally responsible for various religious duties and the maintenance of the Temple in Jerusalem.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Levita can be traced back to the medieval period in various European countries, particularly in Italy, Germany, and Spain. It is believed that the name was adopted by Jewish families who had ancestors from the tribe of Levi or who were involved in religious duties.
One of the earliest known references to the surname Levita can be found in the Hebrew Bible, where it is mentioned in connection with the tribe of Levi. Additionally, the name appears in various historical documents, including medieval rabbinical literature and Jewish community records.
Some notable individuals with the surname Levita include:
1. Elijah Levita (c. 1469-1549), a renowned Hebrew grammarian and lexicographer who lived in Italy and Germany. He was responsible for publishing important works on Hebrew grammar and linguistics.
2. David Levita (c. 1501-1573), a Jewish scholar and printer who lived in Italy. He is credited with publishing several important Hebrew texts and contributing to the development of Hebrew printing in the Renaissance era.
3. Judah Aryeh Levita (c. 1670-1739), a prominent rabbi and Talmudic scholar who lived in Poland and Germany. He was known for his expertise in Jewish law and authored several influential works on religious subjects.
4. Raphael Levi (c. 1554-1628), a Jewish rabbi and scholar who lived in Italy. He was renowned for his expertise in Hebrew grammar and his contributions to the study of the Hebrew Bible.
5. Tobias Levita (c. 1560-1612), a Jewish scholar and author who lived in Germany. He wrote several works on Hebrew grammar and lexicography, contributing to the understanding of the Hebrew language during the Renaissance period.
The surname Levita has also been associated with various place names and locations throughout history, particularly in areas with significant Jewish populations. For example, there were Jewish communities with individuals bearing the surname Levita in cities like Venice, Padua, and Mantua in Italy, as well as in German cities like Frankfurt and Berlin.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Levita
Among Census respondents with the surname Levita, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (36.8%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Levita 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 Levita surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White55.6% · 65
- Asian and Pacific Islander36.8% · 43
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 4
- Two or more races3.4% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Levita
Levita 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-24 bearers (-17.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 29,393 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+6 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,077 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #118,954 | 135 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | -24 bearers (-17.8%) | Down 29,393 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.4%) | Up 4,077 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 Levita 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 | #148,347 | #144,270 | 2.7% |
| Count | 111 | 117 | 5.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Levita bearers went from 111 to 117 (+5.4% change). The surname moved up 4,077 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #144,270.
FAQ
Levita surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Levita?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Levita. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Levita?
Levita ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 117 people with the surname Levita. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Levita.
Has Levita become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Levita went from 111 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 6 (+5.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #148,347 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Levita?
Among Census respondents with the surname Levita, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (36.8%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Levita in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.6% (65 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Levita appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (55.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (36.8%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Levita (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 Levita mean?
A surname derived from the Latin "levita" meaning a member of the priestly Levite tribe in ancient Israel. 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 Levita (0.04 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 Levita?
Find out how common the surname Levita is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.