Levi
Meaning of Levi
Levi is a Hebrew name usually explained as meaning joined or attached, from a root meaning to join. In the Hebrew Bible, Levi is the third son of Jacob and Leah, and his descendants, the Levites, were the tribe set apart for priestly duties in ancient Israel. In the New Testament, Levi is the tax collector whom Jesus calls, traditionally identified with the apostle Matthew. The name has long been used in English-speaking countries, among both Jewish and Christian families.
It is pronounced LEE-vy, with a long first vowel and a short final sound; British and American English give it the same way.
Beyond the biblical figure, Levi is associated with the Levites and the priestly tradition. In American history, Levi Coffin was a Quaker abolitionist who helped lead the Underground Railroad. In popular music, Levi Stubbs was the lead singer of the Four Tops and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.
In the U.S., Levi ranked 172nd in 2000 and 70th in 2010. It first reached its peak rank of 12th in 2021 and held that rank in 2025, when 9,642 boys were named.
Pronunciation
British English
- Pronunced as LEE-vy (/ ˈli.vi /)
American English
- Pronunced as LEE-vy (/ˈli.vi/ )
U.S. Popularity Chart
States Popularity Chart
Notable People Named Levi
| Levi Coffin Jr. was a Quaker abolitionist and Republican who helped lead the Underground Railroad in Indiana and Ohio, aided thousands of enslaved people, and whose Indiana home is now a museum called the Underground Railroad Grand Central Station. |
| Levi Lincoln Sr. was a Massachusetts lawyer and Democratic Republican statesman who served as Thomas Jefferson's first attorney general, helped set the stage for Marbury v. Madison, and later served as lieutenant governor and acting governor. |
| Levi Lincoln Jr., a Worcester lawyer and politician, was the 13th governor of Massachusetts from 1825 to 1834 and a US congressman from 1834 to 1841, holding the state's longest consecutive governorship. |
| Levi Johnston gained fame as the former fiance of Bristol Palin and father of their son Tripp during the 2008 campaign, later clashing publicly with the Palin family. |
| Levi Underwood was a Vermont lawyer and politician who left the Democrats over slavery to join the new Republican Party and served as the 23rd lieutenant governor of Vermont from 1860 to 1862. |
| Levi Fatzinger Noble was an American USGS geologist best known for pioneering work in Death Valley and the American Southwest. |
| Levi Wallace is an American cornerback who played at Alabama, signed with the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2018, and later played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos. |
| Levi Stubbs was an American baritone and the powerful lead singer of Motown group the Four Tops, famed for 1960s and 1970s hits and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. |
| Levi Strauss was a German born American businessman who founded Levi Strauss and Co in San Francisco in 1853, creating the first company to manufacture blue jeans. |
| Rabbi Levi Yitzchok Bender 1897 to 1989 was a Breslov rabbi who led communities in Uman Ukraine and Jerusalem Israel. |
| Levi Horn - Levi C. Horn is a former American football offensive tackle who starred at Oregon and Montana, earned FCS All-American honors, and signed with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2010. |
| Levi Casboult is a retired AFL player who played for Carlton from 2010 to 2021 and then for the Gold Coast Suns. |
| Levi Weeks was an American carpenter best known as the accused in the 1800 Manhattan Well Murder, the first recorded U.S. murder trial, and brother of prominent New York builder Ezra Weeks. |
| Levi Leslie Lamborn was an Ohio doctor, horticulturist, and politician. |
