Levi
LEE-vy
Levi derives from Hebrew לֵוִי (Lēwiy), from the root “lawah” meaning to join or to attach. In Genesis 29:34, Leah names her 3rd son Levi.
Levi is the ancestor of the Levites, the priestly tribe of Israel set apart for Tabernacle and Temple service. Because they received no territorial allotment, the Levites were distributed among the other tribes.
Moses and Aaron, the most prominent Levites in the Hebrew Bible, gave the name an enduring association with prophetic authority and service.
What the name Levi means
In the New Testament, Levi appears interchangeably with Matthew (Mark 2:14, Luke 5:27) as the tax collector called by Jesus to become an apostle, extending the name’s significance into early Christianity.
Levi Strauss (1829-1902) founded Levi Strauss & Co., permanently linking the name to American denim.
Uncommon among non-Jewish families for most of the 20th century, Levi began rising sharply in the late 2000s as part of the broad Old Testament name revival.
By 2018, Levi entered the U.S. top 20. It held No. 12 in both 2021 (9,553 births) and 2024 (9,513 births), showing remarkable year-over-year stability at the top of the rankings.
The name also ranks in the top 30 in the Netherlands and Germany, and appears in Scandinavia alongside the Finnish form Leevi and the Estonian variant.
US popularity over time
Numerology and symbolism
Based on Pythagorean numerology — a traditional system linking name letters to numbers. Presented for cultural interest.
Famous people named Levi
Levi - similar names
Not seeing what you want? Browse all names by origin or popularity
Ways to spell Levi
| Variant | Language |
|---|---|
| Leevi | Finnish |
| Lewi | German variant |
| Levy | Spelling variant |