Confusion over Leff, Lev/Lew, and Levy connection?

Question

According to the Ancestry.com Learning Center, Lev and Lew are the respective Russian and Polish forms of the Slavic name Leib, and Leff is an Americanized spelling of the aforementioned Lev.

However, Lev is also listed as being a short form of Levy, yet Levy has a different meaning from that of Lev/Lew.

My question is are the Lev and Lew names appropriately associated with the Levy name as Ancestry.com has placed them?

Answer 1

Levy is an Israelite tribe. The Kohanim come from that tribe as well. The Kohanim are the priests and the other Levites were musicians and singers in the Temple. The Levites also helped the Kohanim with sacrefices. According to Jewish law, you are whatever tribe your father is providing that your mother is Jewish. The Kohanim are descended from Aaron the High Priest who was the brother of Moses. Moses and Aaron were both Levites. Lev in Hebrew means heart and Levi means my heart. The Israelite tribe associated with the lion is Judah or more approprietly Yehuda. Jewish kingship is supposed to pass through the line of Yehuda by way of King David. I do not believe that there is any connection between the Slavic and Hebrew names that have the same or similiar sound.

Answer 2

Can't specifically answer your question but I have the name 'Levi' in my family in England 1800s. Same family spelt it both Levi and Levy, one person changed in to Lever and a some changed it to something entirely different.



In the past a lot of people were illiterate and not worried about how the name was spelt. Jews haven't always been popular either which prompts people to change to a less Jewish sounding name, from Levi to Lewis for example.



So, expect the unexpected :-)

Answer 3

Are you Jewish ?