2000
#99,725
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 168
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Lewinson
A Yiddish surname derived from the Hebrew name Levi, referring to the ancient Israelite tribe.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 321 Americans carry the last name Lewinson. That puts it at #74,428 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,067,771 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lewinson 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
321
1 in 1,067,771
Census rank
#74,428
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
280
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 280 bearers of the surname Lewinson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 74428th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lewinson, the largest self-reported group is Black at 52.1%. The next largest groups are White (35.7%) and Hispanic (7.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lewinson
The surname Lewinson is of English origin, derived from the medieval personal name Lewin, a diminutive form of the Old English name Leofwine, which means "dear friend." The name Leofwine was composed of the elements "leof" (dear or beloved) and "wine" (friend).
Lewinson is believed to have emerged as a surname in the late 12th or early 13th century, during the period when hereditary surnames were becoming more widespread in England. It likely originated as a patronymic surname, indicating "son of Lewin."
The earliest known recorded instance of the surname Lewinson dates back to 1273, when a John Lewinson was mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire. This suggests that the name was already in use by that time.
Several variations of the spelling have been documented over the centuries, including Lewynson, Lewinsson, and Lewynsson. These spelling variations were common in the Middle Ages due to inconsistencies in record-keeping and the lack of standardized spelling conventions.
One notable historical figure with the surname Lewinson was Sir Thomas Lewinson (c. 1530-1591), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Portsmouth during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
Another significant individual was Robert Lewinson (1757-1837), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and was present at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.
In the 19th century, Edward Lewinson (1825-1908) was a prominent English architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Shoreditch Town Hall and the former Stepney Borough Council offices.
The name Lewinson has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Lewinson's Farm in Worcestershire and Lewinson's Hill in Gloucestershire, suggesting that families with this surname may have had ties to these locations.
Throughout history, the surname Lewinson has appeared in various historical records, including parish registers, tax rolls, and court documents, indicating its presence across different regions of England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lewinson
Among Census respondents with the surname Lewinson, the largest self-reported group is Black at 52.1%. The next largest groups are White (35.7%) and Hispanic (7.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Lewinson 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 Lewinson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American52.1% · 146
- White35.7% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino7.5% · 21
- Two or more races4.3% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lewinson
Lewinson 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
#86,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 217
+49 bearers (+29.2%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 13,720 places
2020
#74,428
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 280
+63 bearers (+29.0%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Up 11,577 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #99,725 | 168 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #86,005 | 217 | 0.07 | +49 bearers (+29.2%) | Up 13,720 places |
| 2020 | #74,428 | 280 | 0.09 | +63 bearers (+29.0%) | Up 11,577 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 Lewinson 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 | #86,005 | #74,428 | 13.5% |
| Count | 217 | 280 | 29.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.09 | 33.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lewinson bearers went from 217 to 280 (+29.0% change). The surname moved up 11,577 positions in the national ranking, going from #86,005 to #74,428.
FAQ
Lewinson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lewinson?
Name Census estimates that about 321 living Americans carry the surname Lewinson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,067,771 residents.
How common is Lewinson?
Lewinson ranks #74,428 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.09 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 280 people with the surname Lewinson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (321), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.09 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 Lewinson.
Has Lewinson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lewinson went from 217 recorded bearers to 280. That is an increase of 63 (+29.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #86,005 to #74,428.
What does the Census say about the background of Lewinson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lewinson, the largest self-reported group is Black at 52.1%. The next largest groups are White (35.7%) and Hispanic (7.5%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Lewinson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.1% (146 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lewinson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (52.1%), White (35.7%), Hispanic (7.5%). 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 Lewinson (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 Lewinson mean?
A Yiddish surname derived from the Hebrew name Levi, referring to the ancient Israelite tribe. 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 Lewinson (0.09 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 Lewinson?
Find out how many people are called Lewinson on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.