Contents [hide]

Levin History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Citations

Levin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Israel

Etymology of Levin

What does the name Levin mean?

The history of the Levin family goes back to the Medieval landscape of northwestern France, to the regions known as Brittany and Normandy. The name Lavigne is derived from the Old French word "vigne," meaning "vine," and as such it is likely that the first bearers of this name owned or worked on a vineyard. 1

Early Origins of the Levin family

The surname Levin was first found in Brittany where they held a family seat in the seigneury of Haute Morays.

They later branched to Houle in that same province. They were closely allied to this latter House of Houlle de Kermassonet. Branching to the region of Tournai they intermarried with the family of Hennebert. Branches were later found in Maine, Le Mans, Bourbonnais, Guyenne, and Artois. In the south of France they held a family seat in the region of Languedoc at Puylaroque.

Joseph Lavigne, son of Pierre and Jeanne (née Gazaille), settled in Contrecoeur, Quebec and married Marie-Anne Gareau on 12th November 1727. 2

Early History of the Levin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Levin research. More information is included under the topic Early Levin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Levin Spelling Variations

One can encounter great variation in the spelling of French surnames; in part, as spelling, and the spelling names was not yet standardized during the early development of the written French language. Later, there was much branching and movement of families, and spellings would change according to region. Variations of the name Levin include Lavigne, Levine, Levin, Levigne, Levigny, Laveine, Lavignes, Lavene, Des Vignes, deVigne, Devignes, Devigne, De lavigne and many more.

Early Notables of the Levin family

More information is included under the topic Early Levin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Levin Ranking

In the United States, the name Levin is the 2,310^th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 3 However, in Russia, the name Levin is ranked the 851^st most popular surname with an estimated 21,481 people with that name. 4

Levin migration to the United States +

Approximately 110 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 people in Quebec. France gave land incentives for 2,000 migrants during the next decade. Early marriage was desperately encouraged amongst the immigrants. The fur trade attracted migrants, both noble and commoner. 15,000 explorers left Montreal in the late 17th and 18th centuries. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. Migration to New France (Quebec) continued from France until it fell in 1759. In the year 1675 the Acadian presence in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island had reached 500. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported to Louisiana. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The distinguished family name Levin has made significant contributions to the culture, arts, sciences and religion of France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Levin were

Levin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Lewis Levin, who arrived in South Carolina in 1824

Levin migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Levin Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Nathaniel William Levin, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
Robert Levin, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Mermaid" in 1859 5
Lewis Levin, aged 34, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Schiehallion" in 1872

Contemporary Notables of the name Levin (post 1700) +

Gerald M. Levin (1939-2024), American media businessman, best known for brokering the merger between AOL and Time Warner in 2000
Fredric Gerson Levin (1937-2021), American plaintiffs' lawyer in the state of Florida, Chairman of Levin, Papantonio, Thomas, Mitchell, Rafferty & Proctor, P.A, a law firm in Northwest Florida, he died from COVID-19
Charles Leonard Levin (1926-2020), American jurist, Michigan Court of Appeals judge from 1966 to 1972 and
Ida Levin (1963-2016), American concert violinist
Ira Levin (1929-2007), American author, dramatist and songwriter
Janna J. Levin (b. 1967), American theoretical cosmologist
Beth Levin (b. 1950), American classical pianist
Alan Levin (1926-2006), three-time Emmy Award-winning American filmmaker and journalist
Haim Levin (1937-2024), Israeli football goalkeeper
Mr. Lazarus J. Levin, British Councillor, held the position of Sheriff of Nottingham, England from 1940 to 1941
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Levin family +

Triangle Waist Company

Miss Jennie Levin (b. 1892), Russian Jewish garment worker who was working at Triangle Waist Company factory at the Asch building in Greenwich Village on the 25th March 1911 when fire broke out; she died in the fire 6

The Levin Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Manco-capac

Citations +

Dionne, N.-E., Origine Des Familles Canadiennes-Français. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1969. Print.
Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in Russia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/russia/surnames
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 5th November 2010). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire (retrieved on 3rd August 2021.) Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle_Shirtwaist_Factory_fire