Lever Surname

35,108th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 15,064 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
England
Highest density in:
Cambodia

Lever Surname Definition:

This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'of Lever,' which see. Although the variant Leaver is not now very common in South Lancashire, it formerly was frequently found in that district.

1621. Robert Leaver, of Darcey Lever: Wills at Chester.

Read More About This Surname

Lever Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England4,4791:12,4401,835
United States2,7011:134,19414,074
Australia1,8161:14,8652,110
Cambodia1,7621:8,790906
Canada7781:47,3595,769
Netherlands4771:35,4035,942
Colombia4131:115,6763,891
Italy3951:154,82724,084
France3121:212,89333,114
Wales2001:15,4731,680
New Zealand2001:22,6423,959
South Africa2001:270,88926,929
Scotland1861:28,7843,020
Israel1651:51,8646,802
Slovenia1481:16,8093,906
Chile1321:133,4584,712
Brazil881:2,432,66374,473
Nigeria631:2,811,79089,258
Mexico561:2,216,53919,710
Belgium451:255,48131,256
India371:20,731,497300,213
Panama361:108,6744,042
Venezuela331:915,27514,245
Germany281:2,875,195137,699
Spain231:2,032,69753,462
Zimbabwe201:771,91253,776
Estonia191:69,56912,771
Russia171:8,477,827301,506
Lebanon161:352,31810,901
Sweden161:615,42245,338
Thailand151:4,709,223352,754
Ukraine141:3,251,621182,804
Singapore131:423,66918,211
Austria121:709,62061,025
Northern Ireland111:167,7318,683
Argentina111:3,885,765145,016
China101:136,732,1577,199
Uzbekistan91:3,436,57132,268
Croatia91:469,84536,710
Jersey81:12,4002,398
Malaysia81:3,686,778134,908
Finland61:916,11741,832
Philippines51:20,247,645262,352
Norway51:1,028,45761,363
United Arab Emirates41:2,290,56860,372
Malawi41:4,279,77724,060
Cyprus41:221,2198,471
Egypt41:22,983,93862,368
Ireland31:1,569,64617,286
Indonesia31:44,083,065698,220
Monaco31:12,3552,088
Turkey21:38,910,711171,901
Jamaica21:1,434,97411,081
Denmark21:2,822,35876,882
United States Virgin Islands21:55,1886,229
Poland21:19,004,374199,659
Papua New Guinea21:4,076,858165,791
Hong Kong21:3,667,74211,574
Pakistan21:89,321,942157,560
Afghanistan11:32,153,18360,828
Japan11:127,844,29373,547
Bahamas11:391,7512,737
Bangladesh11:159,356,77326,077
Belarus11:9,501,059159,228
Benin11:10,335,602103,742
Latvia11:2,050,04660,295
Liberia11:4,408,53547,110
Bermuda11:65,2793,010
Luxembourg11:580,54215,155
Malta11:430,2723,380
Kazakhstan11:17,682,496204,010
Tanzania11:52,941,613123,716
Switzerland11:8,212,915156,297
Moldova11:3,561,36878,271
Ecuador11:15,905,84650,210
Solomon Islands11:580,02922,243
Ethiopia11:97,546,26229,669
Serbia11:7,144,94838,459
Morocco11:34,476,099111,471
Saudi Arabia11:30,855,81763,028
Greece11:11,079,790145,225
Puerto Rico11:3,550,1399,109
Isle of Man11:85,8224,091
Peru11:31,784,12364,452
Guatemala11:16,082,66812,169
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland41:1,107,46726,093
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England2,6761:9,1091,362
Scotland321:116,9765,458
Wales271:58,0892,880
Jersey11:51,8823,898
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States5621:89,3579,234

The alternate forms: Levér (1) are calculated separately.

Lever (1,038) may also be a first name.

Lever Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'of Lever,' which see. Although the variant Leaver is not now very common in South Lancashire, it formerly was frequently found in that district.

1621. Robert Leaver, of Darcey Lever: Wills at Chester.

1635. James Leaver, of Darcey Lever: ibid.

1647. Roger Leaver, of Bolton: ibid.

Here the true spelling of the locality is preserved, while the surname originated by that same locality has changed its orthography.

A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1896) by Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley

This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'of Lever.' Great Lever is a township in the parish of Middleton, Lancashire Little Lever is a chapelry in the parish of Bolton, Lancashire.

Alexander Lever, of Burnley, 1560: Wills at Chester.

Richard Lever, of Little Lever, 1588: ibid.

Margaret Lever, of Lever, 1603: ibid.

Mary Lever, of Bolton-in-le-Moors, widow, 1668: ibid. (1660-80).

1587. James Tanner and Cicely Leaver (Essex): Marriage Lic.(London).

Robertus Leyver, 1602: Preston Guild Rolls.

A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1896) by Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley

(English) 1 belonging to Lever (Great and Little), Lancs; late 12th and 13th cent.

spellings Lefre, Levre, Lever(e, Levir, Levyr, prob. representing Old English læfer (dat. pl.

læfr-um) = the Rushes; although the Dialectal English lever(s more especially denotes the waterflag or yellow iris.

William de Magna Levre.—Lanc. Assize-Rolls, A.D. 1246.

William de Lever.— do. do.

Elys de Levir.—Cal. Inq. PM., A.D. 1282.

Elias de Levere.—Lanc. Fines, A.D. 1331.

Note also the Levers-Water, N.Lancs; and Leverspool Water, Fife.

2 Lever may occasionally represent the not very common Anglo-Saxon pers. name Léof- here [Old English léof, dear, beloved + here, army]

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

“Hare” in Old French. From “Leverer” - “Hunter of the Hare”.

South African Surnames (1965) by Eric Rosenthal

Apparently a personal name. Hence the genitive Levers, the patronymical Leverson, and the local Leverton. But it is also local, there being three places called Lever in Lancashire.

Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

Petrus Lievre, Normandy 1180-95 (Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae). Also from an English locality.

The Norman People (1874)

From the Dutch, Liever; a personal name.

British Family Names: Their Origin and Meaning (1903) by Henry Barber

A location name in Lancashire.

British Family Names: Their Origin and Meaning (1903) by Henry Barber

User-submitted Reference

The name Levert means 'son of the ruler' in Gaelic. It also means 'the green' in French.

- tim_levert

Lever Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name Lever Come From? nationality or country of origin

The surname Lever (Arabic: ليفر, Russian: Левер) occurs more in England more than any other country or territory. It can also be rendered in the variant forms: Levér. Click here for further possible spellings of this surname.

How Common Is The Last Name Lever? popularity and diffusion

The last name Lever is the 35,108th most widespread family name worldwide, held by approximately 1 in 483,772 people. The last name is predominantly found in Europe, where 43 percent of Lever reside; 33 percent reside in Northern Europe and 32 percent reside in British Isles. It is also the 248,913th most frequently used first name world-wide, held by 1,038 people.

This last name is most frequent in England, where it is held by 4,479 people, or 1 in 12,440. In England Lever is primarily found in: Greater Manchester, where 23 percent reside, Greater London, where 13 percent reside and Lancashire, where 5 percent reside. Excluding England it exists in 84 countries. It is also found in The United States, where 18 percent reside and Australia, where 12 percent reside.

Lever Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The frequency of Lever has changed through the years. In England the number of people who held the Lever last name expanded 167 percent between 1881 and 2014; in The United States it expanded 481 percent between 1880 and 2014; in Wales it expanded 741 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Scotland it expanded 581 percent between 1881 and 2014 and in Ireland it contracted 25 percent between 1901 and 2014.

Lever Last Name Statistics demography

The religious devotion of those carrying the last name is predominantly Anglican (100%) in Ireland and Armenian Catholic (100%) in Lebanon.

In The United States those bearing the Lever last name are 2.46% more likely to be registered with the Democratic Party than the national average, with 50.77% registered with the political party.

The amount Lever earn in different countries varies greatly. In Norway they earn 218.13% more than the national average, earning 1,100,980 kr per year; in South Africa they earn 265.21% more than the national average, earning R 867,888 per year; in Colombia they earn 5.95% less than the national average, earning $21,352,300 COP per year; in United States they earn 4.54% more than the national average, earning $45,109 USD per year and in Canada they earn 4.68% more than the national average, earning $52,006 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

SurnameSimilarityWorldwide IncidencePrevalency
Levér931/
Leaver916,725/
Levert915,842/
Levier911,340/
Levere911,118/
Leever911,070/
Leverd91784/
Llever91508/
Liever91142/
Leuver91132/
Levear9164/
Lesver9126/
Leveur9116/
Leyver915/
Loever915/
Leiver914/
Leveer913/
Laever913/
Leveir911/
Leverp911/
Letver911/
Leverr910/
Leve893,038/
Leverre8336/
Leavere8331/
Gliever8326/
Levertt8317/
Lieverz8317/
Levierh8314/
Leivere837/
Levierr837/
Le'vere833/
Leverrt832/
Leveart831/
Levherz831/
Leivear831/
Leavier831/
L'Lever831/
Lesvert830/
Lover8014,593/
Leber8012,876/
Levey805,895/
Laver805,131/
Levet803,910/
Levie802,036/
Lewer801,727/
Levee801,123/
Liver801,098/
Lyver80646/
Leave80539/
Lleve80506/
Leive80253/
Leves80251/
Lieve80228/
Levea80102/
Levez8082/
Leeve8069/
Levei8049/
Levir8018/
Levhe8010/
Leveh8010/
Levée8010/
Löver809/
Leved807/
Leyve805/
Leuve804/
Leveš803/
Hleve802/
Leveu801/
Líver801/
Leverova7762/
Lehtveer7744/
Leheveer778/
Lehvherr771/
Lieber737,933/
Lebert736,456/
Levett735,220/
Leaves734,052/
Leiber731,862/
Leavey731,596/
Lavier731,319/
Loewer73791/
Lemper73768/
Levoir73573/
Lewier73568/
Libeer73515/
Llaver73468/
Leeves73467/
Lesuer73462/
Leuwer73398/
Lybeer73368/
Lebere73331/
Liewer73321/
Livert73255/
Leeber73239/
Llover73233/
Liaver73207/
Lewere73139/
Lovier73102/
Lyvere7386/
Levair7385/
Litver7383/
Leevey7381/
Lebeer7377/
Leaber7373/
Laveur7369/
Livier7364/
Lhover7362/
Lhyver7352/
Lebeur7338/
Leyber7329/
Leiwer7325/
Lavear7323/
Laveer7321/
Livere7321/
Lebher7320/
Lesber7319/
Levesh7318/
Leuber7318/
Lhiver7317/
Lleber7315/
Levets7312/
Leweir7312/
Lebeir7311/
Lehber7311/
Livear7310/
Leveis7310/
Llevet7310/
Loverr739/
Leevet739/
Lavher738/
Leewer738/
Levetz737/
Loveer737/
Levest737/
Layver736/
Lliver736/
Loverh735/
Liverd734/
Leavee734/
Loiver734/
Lebier734/
Lleves734/
Loveur734/
Lewerz734/
Levire733/
Lehwer733/
Lewehr733/
Lovejr733/
Levhed733/
Laiver732/
Leyves732/
Leavie732/
Leuvir732/
Ålesve732/
Lövert732/
Loweer731/
Liverz731/
Levess731/
Leyvea731/
Leyvey731/
Laeuer731/
Laewer731/
Leivea731/
Leivey731/
Leavea731/
Leawer731/
Leberz731/
Leevir731/
Laaver731/
Glieve731/
Lebear731/
Leives731/
Leberd731/
Hlaver731/
Loveir731/
Llevie731/
Liover731/
Lyverd731/
Lévier731/
Lytver731/
Leivee731/
Leaveh731/
Leberr731/
Levère731/
Levehe731/
Lievie731/
Lyvert731/
Leywer731/
Leveez731/
Leevee731/
Hleber731/
Hlover731/
Livger730/
Leavet730/
Levech730/
Levezz730/
Leavir730/
Lewger730/
Lievey730/
Leveet730/
Levirt730/
Lesvey730/
Leweur730/
Leivie730/
Levherova711/
Levy67224,725/
Levi6749,003/
Lebe673,564/
Lewe673,487/
Live672,116/
Lebherz671,590/
Levá67851/
Levý67767/
Leibert67702/
Leberre67554/
Liverød67297/
Libeert67235/
Leawere67189/
Lieberz67186/
Liewehr67182/
Levaire67150/
Lybeert67137/
Levä67134/
Leybert67120/
Leavett67102/
Lewerth6781/
L'Hyver6781/
Glieber6780/
Lempfer6770/
Laivier6748/
Levé6747/
Leebert6743/
Lechuer6719/
Lebheir6716/
Liebher6714/
Leví6714/
L'Hiver6713/
Leebere6711/
Lahaver6710/
Lejsved678/
Leiwert675/
Leveatt674/
Lesuere674/
Lechwer674/
Leiwere674/
Lhivert673/
Hlebert672/
Leabert672/
Littver672/
Lyve672/
Hleiber672/
Léve672/
Leabher671/
Loweher671/
Livertt671/
Liebier671/
Liehber671/
Liewher671/
Leyvajr671/
Lesuerr671/
Lejjuer671/
Lempher671/
Leavhes671/
Lebeare671/
Lebeire671/
Lebettr671/
Laweher671/
Lehuert671/
Leewreh671/
Llivier671/
Lejbert671/
Leaouer671/
Lebierz671/
Lijbeer671/
Leveett671/
Libeere671/
Liveere671/
Lesberh671/
Lahieve670/
Lessuer670/
Leasuer670/
Leivett670/
Leisuer670/
Leaveth670/
Layvere670/
Leavire670/
Lieberh670/
Leveich670/
Leiberd670/

Lever Name Transliterations

TransliterationICU LatinPercentage of Incidence
Lever in the Russian language
Леверlever-
Lever in the Arabic language
ليفرlyfr-

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Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Lever
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis