Which country do people with the surname Levy originate from?

Question

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

Israel for sure

Answer 2

Levy and Cohen are probably the only 2 names which you can pretty much say are exclusively Jewish.

There is a Leavey which I understand can be Irish.

A lot of names are identified as Jewish in the U.S. because a large portion of immigrants with certain names were Jewish. But the names themselves are not necessarily Jewish as back in their country of origin the same name was used by Jews and Christians.

Answer 3

The name Levy is probably either French or Jewish.

Answer 4

It's Hebrew



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levi_(surname)



http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&defl=en&q=define:hebrew&ei=9z8ZS8D0N5GI4QbnhvHxAg&sa=X&oi=glossary_definition&ct=title&ved=0CAkQkAE

Answer 5

Surname: Levy

There are three possible sources of this intriguing name. In England the first probability is that it derives from the Olde English pre 7th century baptismal or given name "Lefwi", composed of the elements "leof", dear, beloved, the "wig"- war. Quite why somebody should be known as 'dear war' is a mystery, but the ancient peoples were very proud of names which commemorated glory, and the gods. The second possibility is that this surname is a French locational name from the village of Levy in Seine-et-Oise, so called from the Gallo-Roman personal name "Laevius", from the Latin "laevus", meaning 'left'. The third possibility is Jewish, a later introduction from the the 17th century, and deriving from the hebrew male name 'Levi' which means 'The Joining'. Early examples of church recordings include Thomas Levye who married Mary Boreman at Tielhurst, Sussex on March 24th 1637 and Anne Levy, who married Patrick Presse at St. Botolph's Church, Bishopgate, London, on April 25th 1698. The Coat of Arms is a silver field charged with a red lion rampant on a green mound. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Robert Levi, which was dated 1275, in the Subsidy Rolls, of Worcestershire, during the reign of King Edward 1, known as "The Hammer of the Scots", 1272 - 1307. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

http://www.surnamedb.com/surname.aspx?name=Levy



Levy Name Meaning and History

Jewish (Ashkenazic and Sephardic): from the Biblical personal name Levi, from a Hebrew word meaning ‘joining’. This was borne by a son of Jacob and Leah (Genesis 29: 34). Bearers of this name are Levites, members of the tribe of Levi, who form a hereditary caste who assist the kohanim (see Cohen) in their priestly duties.

http://www.ancestry.com/facts/Levy-family-history.ashx



Cohen Name Meaning and History

Jewish: from Hebrew kohen ‘priest’. Priests are traditionally regarded as members of a hereditary caste descended from Aaron, brother of Moses. See also Kaplan.

http://www.ancestry.com/facts/Cohen-family-history.ashx



Kaplan Name Meaning and History

1. Jewish (Ashkenazic): surname used as a translation of Cohen, from German Kaplan or Polish kaplan ‘chaplain’, ‘curate’.

2. German, Swedish, Czech, and Slovenian; Slovak (Kaplán); Polish (Kaplan); Hungarian (Káplán): status name for a deacon, chaplain, or curate (ultimately from Late Latin capellanus (see Chaplin 1), or a nickname for someone resembling a clergyman).

3. Turkish: from kablan ‘tiger’, hence a nickname for someone thought to resemble a tiger, typically in having indomitable courage or spirit. In the form Kaplanis, this is also found as a Greek surname, with various patronymic and other derivatives (Kaplanidis, Kaplanoglou, Kaplanellis, etc.)

http://www.ancestry.com/facts/Kaplan-family-history.ashx



Chaplin Name Meaning and History

1. English and French: occupational name for a clergyman, or perhaps for the servant of one, from Middle English, Old French chapelain ‘chantry priest’, a priest endowed to sing mass daily on behalf of the souls of the dead (Late Latin capellanus).

2. Ukrainian and Belorussian: patronymic from the nickname Chaplya, from the dialect word chaplya ‘heron’, ‘stork’ (Russian tsaplya), referring to a man with long, thin legs or perhaps one who was shy and easily frightened.

http://www.ancestry.com/facts/Chaplin-family-history.ashx



Levi or Levy is a surname, which is derived from the Hebrew name Levi meaning "joined to" in Hebrew. To read more go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levi_(surname)



On FamilySearch.org I got 435 hit with exact spelling on, they were from places like Nova Scotia, New Zealand, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Germany, England, Wales, Poland South Africa, India, Israel, the US and others. http://www.familysearch.org/eng/Search/frameset_search.asp



It is incorrect to think that all people with the same surname come from the same country or that each surname only has one place of origin.

Answer 6

i think you mean Levy, in which case it originates in southern sri lanka. you are welcome.