2000
#892
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 35,464
First available Census row
Per 100,000 13.15
Uncommon Last name
Levy
A Jewish surname referring to the Levites, a biblical tribe of religious functionaries and temple workers.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 41,854 Americans carry the last name Levy. That puts it at #938 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 12.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 8,189 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Levy 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 Levy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
42K
1 in 8,189
Census rank
#938
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
12.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
36K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 36,499 bearers of the surname Levy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 12.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 938th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Levy, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.4%. The next largest groups are Black (13.5%) and Hispanic (6.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Levy
The surname Levy originates from the Hebrew language and has its roots in the ancient biblical times. It is derived from the Hebrew word "Levi", which refers to the tribe of Levi, one of the twelve tribes of Israel mentioned in the Old Testament.
The Levites were a specific group within the tribe of Levi who were designated to serve as priests and assistants in the religious rituals and ceremonies of the Israelites. The name Levy, therefore, became associated with those who belonged to this prominent tribe.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Levy can be traced back to the medieval period in various parts of Europe, particularly in France, Germany, and England. In these regions, the name was often spelled as "Levi" or "Levey" before the more modern spelling of "Levy" became widely adopted.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Levy was Rabbi Gershom ben Judah, also known as Gershom the Light of the Diaspora, who lived in France between 960 and 1040 CE. He was a renowned Talmudic scholar and is credited with establishing several important legal and ethical principles that became influential in Jewish communities across Europe.
Another notable figure was Judah Halevi, a celebrated Spanish Jewish philosopher and poet, who lived from 1075 to 1141 CE. His works, particularly the philosophical treatise "Kuzari" and his poetry collection "Diwan," have had a lasting impact on Jewish thought and literature.
In England, one of the earliest recorded instances of the name Levy can be found in the Pipe Rolls of 1185, which mention a Jewish landowner named Aaron Levy in the county of Lincolnshire.
During the Middle Ages, the surname Levy was also associated with several prominent Jewish families in various parts of Europe, such as the Levy family of Avignon in France and the Levy family of Mainz in Germany.
Another notable individual with the surname Levy was David Levy, an English mathematician and astronomer who lived from 1766 to 1822. He is best known for his work in celestial mechanics and for co-discovering several comets, including the periodic comet now known as Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9.
These examples illustrate the long and rich history of the surname Levy, which has been carried by numerous individuals who have made significant contributions to various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Levy
Among Census respondents with the surname Levy, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.4%. The next largest groups are Black (13.5%) and Hispanic (6.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Levy 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 Levy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.4% · 27,535
- Black or African American13.5% · 4,915
- Hispanic or Latino6.7% · 2,432
- Two or more races3.2% · 1,152
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 401
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 64
Timeline
Historical Census data for Levy
Levy 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
#932
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 37,228
+1,764 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 12.62
Rank movement Down 40 places
2020
#938
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 36,499
-729 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 12.21
Rank movement Down 6 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #892 | 35,464 | 13.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #932 | 37,228 | 12.62 | +1,764 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 40 places |
| 2020 | #938 | 36,499 | 12.21 | -729 bearers (-2.0%) | Down 6 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 Levy 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 | #932 | #938 | -0.6% |
| Count | 37,228 | 36,499 | -2.0% |
| Per 100K | 12.62 | 12.21 | -3.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Levy bearers went from 37,228 to 36,499 (-2.0% change). The surname moved down 6 positions in the national ranking, going from #932 to #938.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Levy
FAQ
Levy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Levy?
Name Census estimates that about 41,854 living Americans carry the surname Levy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 8,189 residents.
How common is Levy?
Levy ranks #938 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 12.21 per 100,000 residents, which is about 12 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 36,499 people with the surname Levy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (41,854), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 12.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 12.21 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 12 of them to have the surname Levy.
Has Levy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Levy went from 37,228 recorded bearers to 36,499. That is a decrease of 729 (-2.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #932 to #938.
What does the Census say about the background of Levy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Levy, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.4%. The next largest groups are Black (13.5%) and Hispanic (6.7%). 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 Levy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.4% (27,535 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Levy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.4%), Black (13.5%), Hispanic (6.7%). 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 Levy (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 Levy mean?
A Jewish surname referring to the Levites, a biblical tribe of religious functionaries and temple workers. 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 Levy (12.21 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 Levy?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.