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Lever Family History

Lever Surname Meaning

English (of Norman origin): nickname for a fleet-footed or timid person from Old French levre ‘hare’ (from Latin lepus genitive leporis). It may also have been a metonymic occupational name for a hunter of hares.

English: topographic name for someone who lived in a place thickly grown with rushes from Old English lǣfer ‘rush reed iris’. Compare Laver. Great and Little Lever in Greater Manchester are named with this word (in a collective sense) so the surname may also be a habitational name from these places.

Dutch and North German: from the medieval personal names Lever a variant of Liever (see Lieber) and Levert a variant of Lievert (see Liebhart). This surname is very rare in Germany.

Slovenian: variant of Levar and in North America probably also an altered form of this.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Lever family from?

You can see how Lever families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Lever family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Lever families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 1,264 Lever families living in Lancashire. This was about 50% of all the recorded Lever's in United Kingdom. Lancashire had the highest population of Lever families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Lever surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Lever ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Lever. 11% of Lever men worked as a General Labourer and 72% of Lever women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Lever were Bricklayer and Cotton Weaver.

View Census Data for Lever | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • General Labourer
    11%
  • Retired
    4%
  • Incapacitated
    3%
  • Bricklayer
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    72%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Housewife
    3%
  • Cotton Weaver
    2%

What Lever family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 62,000 census records available for the last name Lever. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Lever census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Lever

Passenger Lists

There are 7,000 immigration records available for the last name Lever. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Lever immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 6,000 military records available for the last name Lever. For the veterans among your Lever ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Lever military records

You've only scratched the surface of Lever family history

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What is the average Lever lifespan?

Between 1945 and 2004, in the United States, Lever life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1945, and highest in 1964. The average life expectancy for Lever in 1945 was 30, and 75 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Lever

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Lever ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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