Levis Family History

English: from the Middle English personal name Levis (Old English Lēofhyse from lēof ‘dear beloved’ + hyse ‘youth warrior’). English: occasionally perhaps from the Middle English personal name Leve Old English Lēofa (male) or Lēofe (female) which derive from lēof ‘dear beloved’ with genitival or post-medieval excrescent -s since Leve is attested as a medieval surname.

English: perhaps also from Middle English lef leve plural leves possibly representing Old English lēaf ‘leaf foliage’ in some topographic sense or Old English hlīf ‘shelter’. English: occasionally perhaps a pronunciation of Levers or vice versa.

Iraish: shortened form of Dunleavy. Italian: patronymic from the personal name Levi. It is formed with the Latin ablative plural suffix -is imparting the sense ‘belonging to of’ in this case ‘member of the Levi family’ (compare Levi).

This surname is also found in southern France. As a French Canadian surname of Italian origin it is spelled Lévis.

French (Artois): from Old French vis ‘(spiral) staircase’ with fused Old Picard feminine article le; perhaps a nickname for someone whose house had such a feature. Americanized form of some similar (like-sounding) Jewish Ashkenazic surname such as Levy or Levinson.