Levi
Masculine · “Joined”
Levi is overwhelmingly a boys’ name — 215,013 boys against 1,427 girls since 1880. See Levi as a girl name
Levi is one of the twelve names in Genesis given to the sons of Jacob, and the tribe descended from him became Israel's priestly line — so the word has been read aloud in synagogues and churches for well over two thousand years. In English it arrived with the Hebrew Bible itself, taken up by Protestant families who preferred Scripture to saints. Two syllables, four letters, an open vowel at each end: it carries easily across a playground.
How old is the name Levi?
Levi was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Levi is a kid of about 12 — this name's wave is very recent. About 202,000 people named Levi are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Levi most popular?
Levi peaked in 2021, reaching #12 nationally. Today it ranks #12, exactly where it peaked. See the whole 2021 chart.
Where it comes from
From לֵוִי (Levi) to Levi
The story of Levi
The name is Hebrew and biblical, belonging to the third son of Jacob and Leah and to the tribe of Levi, whose descendants served in the Temple; the word Levite comes straight from it. Greek translators of the Hebrew Bible rendered it Leui, and Latin kept it as Levi, which is why the spelling survived unchanged into English. It stayed a steadily used Jewish given name through the centuries while English-speaking Protestants adopted it separately from Old Testament reading, carrying it to America — where a Bavarian-born immigrant named Levi Strauss made the four letters famous on a waistband. Its recent climb in English-speaking countries is a fresh chapter rather than a revival of an old one.
Meaning
Joined, attached
Genesis 29 gives the explanation as Leah's words at his birth — that now her husband would be joined to her — from the Hebrew root lavah, to join or attach. Some scholars have proposed older Semitic roots tied to priesthood, but the 'joined' reading is the accepted one.
Cultural footprint
Levi Strauss (b. 1829) — Invented blue jeans
Source: Wikidata — the one source on this page that is not an official agency.
How the name formed
- לֵוִיLevi
- LeuiGreek
- LeviLatin
- LeviEnglish
Related forms: לֵוִי · Levi · Levi · Leví · Lévi · Lev
Pronouncing Levi
LEE-vye
That is the usual English pronunciation. In Hebrew and in many Jewish families it is LEH-vee, and Dutch and German speakers say something close to that too. Both are correct; it helps to decide which one you mean before the birth announcement.
Nicknames for Levi
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most boys named
- 20229,869 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #12reached in 2021
- Change vs 2022
- −2.3%9,642 in 2025, from 9,869
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Levi in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- לֵוִי in Hebrew — transliteration
- Levi in Dutch — same name
- Levi in German — same name
- Leví in Spanish — spelling variant
- Lévi in French — spelling variant
- Lev in Russian — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, Florida. International figures from Statistics Canada. Sources
Levis among us
people named Levi are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 177 born in 2025 was named Levi
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Paul test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Levi's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Paul climbed just as high around 1916, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Paul's path sketches the road Levi is walking now.
Levi is climbing fast right now. Steep climbs tend to come with steep descents — the quicker a name arrives, the more firmly it belongs to its moment.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Levi is headed
Levi should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
High confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Levi beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Levi in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- Spelled the same way in English, Dutch, German and Hebrew transliteration — no adjustment needed as it travels.
- Four letters, two syllables, and no silent letters or doubled consonants to explain.
- A documented record stretching back to the Hebrew Bible, with continuous use in Jewish families ever since.
- Established in Canada as well as the United States, so it is familiar across the border.
- Has a real short form, Lev, for anyone who wants one.
- The English pronunciation split, LEE-vye against LEH-vee, is genuine, and your child will spend some time correcting people who guess the other one.
- Levi Strauss put the name on the back pocket of a great many jeans, and the denim association is the first thing some people will think of.
- Its wave is very recent, so it reads clearly as a name of the current generation of children rather than a neutral classic.
- Levi and Levy are also common surnames, worth saying aloud with your last name to check the rhythm.
Nobody names a baby alone.
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What they receive
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Levi
Masculine · #12 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Levis are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 202,000 people named Levi are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Levi in 2025?
- Levi ranks #12 among US boy names in 2025, with 9,642 babies given the name.
- How common is the name Levi?
- About 1 in every 177 US boys born in 2025 was named Levi — 9,642 in all.
- Will my child share the name Levi with classmates?
- Roughly 1 in 7 classrooms will have a child named Levi.
Ranked beside Levi
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Benjamin#11 · Elias#13 · Lucas#10 · Luca#14 · Jack#15 · William#9 · Sebastian#16 · Mateo#8
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Levi? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Levi and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration; international figures from national statistics agencies. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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