2000
#1,721
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,070
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.07
Uncommon Last name
Levin
A Jewish surname derived from the Biblical tribe of Levi, referring to descendants of Levite priests.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 20,804 Americans carry the last name Levin. That puts it at #1,939 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,475 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Levin 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 Levin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
21K
1 in 16,475
Census rank
#1,939
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
18K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 18,142 bearers of the surname Levin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1939th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Levin, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Levin
The surname Levin is of Russian origin and can be traced back to the late 17th century. It is derived from the Hebrew name Levi, which means "joined" or "attached". The name was initially adopted by Jewish families residing in the Russian Empire, particularly in the areas of modern-day Ukraine and Belarus.
The earliest known record of the Levin surname appears in the Revishin Books, which were census records of the Jewish population in the Russian Empire during the late 17th and early 18th centuries. These records documented the spread of the Levin name across various towns and villages in the Pale of Settlement, a region designated for Jewish residency within the Russian Empire.
One of the most notable figures with the Levin surname was Isaac Baer Levin (1828-1886), a renowned Russian-Jewish mathematician and educator. He made significant contributions to the field of mathematics and played a crucial role in the development of the modern education system in Russia.
Another prominent individual with the Levin surname was Yuri Levin (1935-2018), a Russian physicist and astrophysicist. He was renowned for his work on gravitational waves and black hole physics, and his contributions were recognized with numerous awards and honors.
In the realm of literature, the Levin surname is associated with the acclaimed Russian writer Leonid Levin (1904-1972). His works, which often explored themes of Jewish identity and the Soviet experience, earned him widespread recognition and a place among the most influential Russian writers of the 20th century.
The Levin surname also has a strong connection to the world of music. One notable figure is the Russian-American composer and pianist Vladimir Levin (1898-1960), whose compositions blended elements of Russian folk music with classical traditions.
Finally, it is worth mentioning David Levin (1942-2019), an American businessman and philanthropist. He co-founded the prestigious private equity firm Warburg Pincus and was widely respected for his leadership and philanthropic efforts in various fields, including education and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Levin
Among Census respondents with the surname Levin, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Levin 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 Levin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 16,791
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 623
- Two or more races2.1% · 385
- Black or African American0.9% · 165
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 161
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Levin
Levin 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
#1,876
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,144
+74 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 6.49
Rank movement Down 155 places
2020
#1,939
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,142
-1,002 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 6.07
Rank movement Down 63 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,721 | 19,070 | 7.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,876 | 19,144 | 6.49 | +74 bearers (+0.4%) | Down 155 places |
| 2020 | #1,939 | 18,142 | 6.07 | -1,002 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 63 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 Levin 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 | #1,876 | #1,939 | -3.4% |
| Count | 19,144 | 18,142 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 6.49 | 6.07 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Levin bearers went from 19,144 to 18,142 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 63 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,876 to #1,939.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Levin
FAQ
Levin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Levin?
Name Census estimates that about 20,804 living Americans carry the surname Levin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 16,475 residents.
How common is Levin?
Levin ranks #1,939 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.07 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 18,142 people with the surname Levin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (20,804), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.07 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Levin.
Has Levin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Levin went from 19,144 recorded bearers to 18,142. That is a decrease of 1,002 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,876 to #1,939.
What does the Census say about the background of Levin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Levin, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Levin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (16,791 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Levin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Levin (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 Levin mean?
A Jewish surname derived from the Biblical tribe of Levi, referring to descendants of Levite priests. 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 Levin (6.07 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 Levin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.