Levine
A surname with multiple roots, most often linked to the Hebrew name Levi, meaning “joined” or “attached.”
The #1,032 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 9,179 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Levine is commonly explained as a surname formed from the Hebrew personal name Levi, the biblical name associated with the tribe of Levi. In that tradition, the name is often connected with the Hebrew root meaning “to join” or “to attach.” In some families it also reflects Yiddish or Anglicized Jewish naming patterns, and in others it may come from French or English forms related to the surname Le Vain or similar spellings, so the name can have more than one origin.
History
Levine is widespread among Jewish families, especially in forms influenced by Eastern European and English-language spelling. In English-speaking countries it became a familiar surname through immigration and later standardization of family names. Because several different name streams converged on the same spelling, unrelated families may share the surname.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The biblical Levi is one of the classic ancestry-based names that generated many modern surnames, including Levin, Levine, and Levy.
From the historical record
“1674. Buried— A child of Charles and Levine Hornsby : St. Thomas the Apostle (London), p. 140. London, 18, i, i, 3, x, o, o; New York, 16, ao, 10, 2, 7, 7, 5.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (alternate scan)