2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Levites
A Jewish surname derived from the biblical tribe of the Levites, members of the priestly class.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Levites. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Levites 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Levites in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Levites, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Levites
The surname LEVITES originated from the Hebrew word "Levi," which means "joined" or "attached." It is closely associated with the Jewish Levites, who were members of the ancient Hebrew tribe of Levi and were responsible for various religious duties and rituals.
The name LEVITES has its roots in the biblical times, when the tribe of Levi was appointed to serve as priests and assistants in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple in Jerusalem. This tribe was distinct from the other Israelite tribes, as they were not granted a specific territorial inheritance but were dispersed among the other tribes.
One of the earliest mentions of the name LEVITES can be found in the Book of Exodus, which describes the appointment of the Levites as ministers in the Tabernacle. The Book of Numbers also details their duties, which included assisting the priests, maintaining the Tabernacle, and transporting the sacred objects during the Israelites' journey through the wilderness.
In the Middle Ages, the surname LEVITES was often used by Jewish families who traced their ancestry back to the ancient Levites. These families took pride in their heritage and adopted the name as a way to distinguish themselves from other Jewish communities.
One notable figure bearing the surname LEVITES was Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, also known as Maimonides (1135-1204), a celebrated philosopher, astronomer, and one of the most influential Torah scholars of the Middle Ages. Another prominent individual was Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel (1525-1609), a renowned Jewish scholar and mystic from Prague, who was also known as the Maharal.
In the 17th century, the name LEVITES appeared in various records and documents, such as the Ketubot (Jewish marriage contracts) and community registers in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. One notable bearer of the name was Rabbi Shabbethai Bass Levites (1642-1718), a renowned Talmudist and Kabbalist from Poland.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, as Jews began to assimilate into various societies, some families adopted the surname LEVITES or variations like Levite or Lewites to reflect their ancestral ties to the Levites. For example, Solomon Levites (1789-1873) was a prominent Jewish educator and author from England.
Throughout history, the surname LEVITES has been associated with scholarly pursuits, religious leadership, and a deep connection to the ancient Israelite traditions. While not as common as some other Jewish surnames, it carries a significant historical and cultural significance within the Jewish community.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Levites
Among Census respondents with the surname Levites, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Levites 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 Levites surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.3% · 89
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.9% · 5
- Two or more races2.0% · 2
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Levites
Levites appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 3,677 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 3,677 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 Levites 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 | #158,432 | #154,755 | 2.3% |
| Count | 102 | 102 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 13.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Levites bearers went from 102 to 102 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 3,677 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #154,755.
FAQ
Levites surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Levites?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Levites. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Levites?
Levites ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Levites. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Levites.
Has Levites become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Levites went from 102 recorded bearers to 102. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Levites?
Among Census respondents with the surname Levites, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.9%). 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 Levites in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.3% (89 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Levites appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.3%), Hispanic (4.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.9%). 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 Levites (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 Levites mean?
A Jewish surname derived from the biblical tribe of the Levites, members of the priestly class. 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 Levites (0.03 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 many people have the surname Levites?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.