NameCensus.

UK surname

Levis

Derived from the given name Levi, indicating Levite ancestry, or referring to someone from the French town of Lévis.

In the 1881 census there were 119 people recorded with the Levis surname, ranking it #17,841 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 222, ranked #18,277, down from #17,841 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St Pancras and Eccles. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Warwick, Wealden and Forest Heath.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Levis is 525 in 1861. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 86.6%.

1881 census count

119

Ranked #17,841

Modern count

222

2016, ranked #18,277

Peak year

1861

525 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Levis had 119 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #17,841 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 222 in 2016, ranked #18,277.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 525 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Levis surname distribution map

The map shows where the Levis surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Levis surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Levis over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 199 #10,441
1861 historical 525 #4,992
1881 historical 119 #17,841
1891 historical 347 #9,894
1901 historical 156 #17,638
1911 historical 194 #15,250
1997 modern 238 #15,760
1998 modern 256 #15,436
1999 modern 246 #15,974
2000 modern 243 #16,053
2001 modern 243 #15,791
2002 modern 248 #15,896
2003 modern 219 #17,085
2004 modern 217 #17,276
2005 modern 219 #17,126
2006 modern 210 #17,718
2007 modern 212 #17,803
2008 modern 217 #17,693
2009 modern 223 #17,735
2010 modern 226 #17,942
2011 modern 220 #18,096
2012 modern 218 #18,139
2013 modern 214 #18,671
2014 modern 224 #18,202
2015 modern 218 #18,478
2016 modern 222 #18,277

Geography

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Where Levis' are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, St Pancras, Eccles, Manchester and Merthyr Tydfil. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Warwick, Wealden, Forest Heath, Bridgend and Trafford. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 3
2 St Pancras London (North Districts)
3 Eccles Lancashire
4 Manchester Lancashire
5 Merthyr Tydfil Glamorganshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Warwick 010 Warwick
2 Wealden 001 Wealden
3 Forest Heath 001 Forest Heath
4 Bridgend 019 Bridgend
5 Trafford 002 Trafford

Forenames

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First names often paired with Levis

These lists show first names that appear often with the Levis surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Levis

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Levis, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Levis surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Levis household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs

Within London, Levis is most associated with areas classed as Terraced and Semi-Detached Suburbs, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly concentrated in suburban areas, these terraced and semi-detached developments are less overcrowded than the Supergroup average, and resident households are more likely to own two or more cars. There are fewer residents aged 25-44, and a larger share of residents employed in administrative and secretarial occupations. Residents are more likely to have been born in the UK, less likely to have been born in the EU or Africa, and much less likely to self-identify as Bangladeshi.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Levis is most concentrated in decile 3 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Levis falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Levis is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Levis, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Levis

The surname Levis has its origins in France and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French word 'levis', meaning 'levite' or a member of the Hebrew tribe of Levi, who were traditionally associated with religious duties and the priesthood.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval French records and manuscripts from the 12th and 13th centuries. One notable example is the mention of a Robert Levis in a charter from the year 1210, relating to the Cistercian abbey of Vaux-de-Cernay in northern France.

During the Middle Ages, the name was particularly prevalent in the northern regions of France, including Normandy and Brittany. It is also thought to have been adopted by some individuals of Jewish descent, who may have taken on the name as a reference to their ancestral tribe.

Over time, the name spread to other parts of Europe, including England, where it underwent various spelling variations such as Levi, Levy, and Levey. One of the earliest recorded English bearers of the name was William Levi, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1199.

Notable historical figures with the surname Levis include:

1. Jacques de Levis, a French nobleman and military leader who fought in the Albigensian Crusade in the early 13th century. 2. Philippe de Levis, a French cardinal and diplomat who lived from 1436 to 1537. 3. Gilles de Levis, a French knight and courtier who served under King Charles VII in the 15th century. 4. Sir Lewis Levi, an English merchant and financier who lived from 1619 to 1701 and was instrumental in funding the British Empire's expansion. 5. Isaac Adolphe Crémieux, a French lawyer and statesman of Jewish descent who lived from 1796 to 1880 and advocated for Jewish emancipation in France.

The surname Levis has also been associated with various place names throughout history, such as Lévis, a city in Quebec, Canada, which was named after François-Gaston, Duke of Levis, a French nobleman from the 17th century.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Levis families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Levis surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 20 Levis' recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.72x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 20 1.72x
Lancashire 16 1.16x
Huntingdonshire 14 60.74x
Glamorgan 10 4.95x
Yorkshire 10 0.87x
Buckinghamshire 6 8.55x
Devon 6 2.48x
Essex 5 2.18x
Surrey 5 0.88x
Leicestershire 4 3.11x
Norfolk 4 2.24x
Northamptonshire 4 3.66x
Northumberland 4 2.32x
Warwickshire 4 1.37x
Hampshire 2 0.84x
Cambridgeshire 1 1.36x
Lanarkshire 1 0.27x
Merionethshire 1 4.71x
Montgomeryshire 1 3.76x
Staffordshire 1 0.26x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Salford in Lancashire leads with 13 Levis' recorded in 1881 and an index of 32.09x.

Place Total Index
Salford 13 32.09x
Ystradyfodwg 10 56.40x
Featherstone 9 697.67x
Hampstead London 7 38.72x
Ramsey 7 378.38x
Sawtry All Sts 7 2592.59x
Chesham 6 231.66x
Great Leighs 5 1666.67x
Plymouth Charles The 5 46.99x
St Martin In Fields 5 71.94x
Belgrave 4 137.93x
Birmingham 4 4.10x
Bressingham 4 2000.00x
Wallsend 4 72.99x
Whitechapel London 4 34.97x
St George In East London 3 27.47x
Walton On Hill 3 40.21x
Battersea 2 4.68x
Lambeth 2 1.98x
Portsea 2 4.29x
Weedon Beck 2 256.41x
Camberwell 1 1.35x
Devonport 1 35.97x
Dolgelley 1 63.29x
Holy Trinity Cambridge 1 125.00x
Kensington London 1 1.55x
Lichfield Close 1 1111.11x
Llanfyllin 1 142.86x
Lutton 1 1428.57x
Northampton St Giles 1 24.04x
Shotts 1 22.27x
Tanshelf 1 108.70x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Levis surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 9
Sarah 8
Elizabeth 7
Annie 3
Caroline 3
Catherine 2
Edith 2
Eliza 2
Emma 2
Hannah 2
Margaret 2
A.L.Mary 1
Ann 1
Cecile 1
Elizth. 1
Ella 1
Ellen 1
Emilie 1
Isabel 1
Kate 1
Liliy 1
Louisa 1
Lydia 1
Nina 1
Rachael 1
Rachel 1
Rose 1
Sarahann 1
Selina 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Levis surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 6
John 5
Thomas 4
Charles 3
George 3
Harry 3
James 3
Lewis 3
Abraham 2
Arthur 2
Edward 2
Frederick 2
Reuben 2
Samuel 2
Aaron 1
Abrey 1
David 1
Davis 1
Edwin 1
Ernest 1
Frank 1
Hugh 1
Javis 1
Jno.James 1
Jno.Thos. 1
Jose 1
Joseph 1
Julius 1
Peter 1

FAQ

Levis surname: questions and answers

How common was the Levis surname in 1881?

In 1881, 119 people were recorded with the Levis surname. That placed it at #17,841 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Levis surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 222 in 2016. That gives Levis a modern rank of #18,277.

What does the Levis surname mean?

Derived from the given name Levi, indicating Levite ancestry, or referring to someone from the French town of Lévis.

What does the Levis map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Levis bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.