Explore the Family Name Lev
The meaning of Lev
Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): 1. from Slavic lev ‘lion’, which was used as an equivalent of the Yiddish personal name leyb (see Leib 1). 2. shortened form of Levy. Some characteristic forenames: Jewish Shraga, Yehuda, Iser, Ovadia, Shlomo, Uri, Aaron David, Anat, Avi, Berish, Chaim, Doron. Russian Igor, Boris, Dmitry, Oleg, Semion, Semyon, Sergey, Vladimir, Yefim, Yevgeniy, Yury.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Lev in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Lev has seen a significant rise in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, the surname ranked 32,939 but jumped to rank 20,697 by 2010, reflecting an increase of 37.17%. The count of individuals with the Lev surname nearly doubled during this decade, from 656 to 1,278 — that's a whopping 94.82% increase. The proportion of people named Lev per 100,000 also increased by 79.17%, from 0.24 to 0.43.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #32,939 | #20,697 | 37.17% |
| Count | 656 | 1,278 | 94.82% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.24 | 0.43 | 79.17% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Lev
The ethnic identity associated with the Lev surname has also shifted slightly over the same decade, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. The percentage of Asian/Pacific Islanders and Hispanics with the Lev surname both saw increases of 25.55% and 36.61%, respectively. However, the proportion of individuals identified as White with the surname decreased marginally by 0.66%, while those identifying with two or more races saw a slight decrease of 7.14%. There were no recorded changes for Black, American Indian and Alaskan Native ethnicities over this period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 94.05% | 93.43% | -0.66% |
| Hispanic | 1.83% | 2.5% | 36.61% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 1.37% | 1.72% | 25.55% |
| Two or More Races | 1.68% | 1.56% | -7.14% |
| Black | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Lev ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Lev is Ashkenazi Jewish, which comprises 55.5% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Eastern European (11.0%) and British & Irish (8.9%). Additional ancestries include French & German, Iranian, Caucasian & Mesopotamian, Spanish & Portuguese, Italian, and Peninsular Arab.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| Ashkenazi Jewish | 55.5% |
| Eastern European | 11.0% |
| British & Irish | 8.9% |
| Other | 24.6% |
Possible origins of the surname Lev
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Lev have recent ancestry locations spanning a few countries, mostly in Poland, and Russia.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Podkarpackie Voivodeship, Poland | 22.10% |
| Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland | 22.10% |
| Masovian Voivodeship, Poland | 20.80% |
| Silesian Voivodeship, Poland | 19.50% |
| Podlaskie Voivodeship, Poland | 19.50% |
What Lev haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Lev is O-F2415, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-F2415 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include E-M183 and O-F2859, which are predominantly found among people with European and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Lev surname are: K1a1b1a, HV, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins O-M1359
Your paternal lineage may be linked to the Cham
One of the many populations harboring members of haplogroup O1b1a1a1a1 is the Cham ethnic group, a group of people who speak Austronesian languages in Mainland Southeast Asia. Austronesian languages make up a language family that is extremely large and widespread, comprising over 350 million people on islands such as Madagascar, Easter Island, and many others. However, Austronesian languages are less common on mainland Asia, with a notable exception being the Chamic language. Research suggests that ancestors of the Cham people migrated from Southeast Asian islands to the mainland around the year 500 BCE, and that early Cham populations quickly began mixing with indigenous southern Vietnamese populations. As a result, the Chamic language now has words that were borrowed from languages spoken by indigenous Vietnamese people. It is likely that an ancestral Kinh population was one of the populations that mixed with the Cham people shortly after their migration to mainland Asia.
Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Lev have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Lev" Surname 43.8%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Lev" Surname 11.8%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Lev?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Lev are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition