Explore the Family Name Levee
The meaning of Levee
1. Altered form of English Levey. 2. Americanized form of French Léveillé (see Leveille). 3. French (Levée): topographic name for someone who lived on a piece of high ground, from levée ‘raised (ground), bank’, or a metonymic occupational name for a tax-collector, from levée (d’impôts) ‘tax levy’. History: Apparently it was James H. Levee from WI (born in 1830 in NY) or his father Phillip Levey (born in 1800 in NY), who first changed the spelling of the surname Levey to Levee. The same did Otto Levey from IL (born in the 1850s in NY).
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Levee in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Levee saw a slight decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked 45,573rd in popularity but by 2010, it had dropped to the 48,160th spot, representing a change of -5.68%. The count of individuals with this surname also went down from 442 in 2000 to 439 in 2010, denoting a marginal decrease of 0.68%. Furthermore, the proportion of people with this surname per 100k population also decreased by 6.25% from 0.16 in 2000 to 0.15 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #45,573 | #48,160 | -5.68% |
| Count | 442 | 439 | -0.68% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.16 | 0.15 | -6.25% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Levee
The Decennial U.S. Census data further indicates some changes in the ethnicity of people bearing the Levee surname. The percentage of people identifying as White decreased slightly from 97.06% to 94.31%, which is a change of -2.83%. There were no recorded individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native in both census periods. However, new instances of Hispanic and Black ethnic identities emerged in 2010, at 1.59% and 1.37% respectively. Additionally, those identifying with two or more races increased significantly from 1.36% in 2000 to 2.51% in 2010, marking an 84.56% change.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 97.06% | 94.31% | -2.83% |
| Two or More Races | 1.36% | 2.51% | 84.56% |
| Hispanic | 0% | 1.59% | 0% |
| Black | 0% | 1.37% | 0% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |