Show ContentsLevison History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Noble surnames, such as Levison, evoke images of the ancient homeland of the French people. The original bearer of the name Levison, which is a local surname, once lived, held land, or was born in the beautiful île-de-France region. In France, hereditary surnames were adopted according to fairly general rules and during the late Middle Ages, names that were derived from localities became increasingly widespread. Local names originally denoted the proprietorship of the village or estate. The Levison family originally derived its surname from the name of the place in Levy Saint Nom in île-de-France.

Early Origins of the Levison family

The surname Levison was first found in île-de-France, where this remarkable family has been traced since the 12th century.

The family branched into several other regions throughout France, and held lands and estates. One such branch extended to Bourgogne from Lugny in the 1400's, by Eustache de Lévis. He was the second son of Philippe, who was the Lord of Florensac and of Alix de Quélus. After his marriage to Alix, Dame of Cousan and daughter of Hugues Damas, Lord of Cousan and Alix of Beaujeu, Philippe became the owner of lands in Lugny in Charollais, which was one of the four largest baronies in the county and one that his descendants still hold.

This family also held fiefs in la Perrierre, le Plessis, Bragny, Ecuelle, Châtelet, la Barre, Saint-Germain-du-Plain, Ouroux, Limon, Thorey, Servigny, and Talant in Chalonnais, as well as the baronies of Bernon, Servoisy, and Lignière. François Gaston, Duke of Lévis, (1720-1787), born in Ajac (Aude), was a Marshal of France and tried in vain to save Canada. His son, Pierre Marie Gaston, was a member of the French National Assembly. The family held the hereditary titles of Duc de Venetadour, Duc de Damville, and the Duc de Fernando-Luis.

Early History of the Levison family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Levison research. Another 36 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1230, 1647, 1717, 1719, 1760, 1785 and 1787 are included under the topic Early Levison History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Levison Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Lévis, Lévi, Lévie, Le Vie, de Lévis, de Lévie, de Lévis, Lévy, Levison, Levisonne, Levisonnes, Levisson, Levissonne, Levissonnes, Levisons, Levissons, Levisont, Levisonts, Levisond, Levisonds, Levey, Lévee, Levis and many more.

Early Notables of the Levison family

Notable amongst the family was Louis Charles de Lévis (1647-1717), a French nobleman and Duke of Ventadour.François-Gaston de Lévis, Duc de Lévis (1719-1787), styled as the Chevalier de Lévis until 1785, was a nobleman and a...
Another 35 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Levison Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Levison migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Levison Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • C. B. Levison, who settled in Philadelphia in 1858

Australia Levison migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Levison Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Jacob Myer Levison, (b. 1797), aged 38, Dutch Oculist and Optician from Amsterdam who was convicted in London, England for life for forgery, transported aboard the "Asia" on 5th November 1835, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land)1836, he died in 1836 1
  • Mr. Julius Levison, (b. 1848), aged 30, Prussian, chandelier maker, from Prussia travelling aboard the ship "Pericles" arriving in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on 10th November 1878 2
  • Mrs. Esther Levison, (b. 1854), aged 24, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "Pericles" arriving in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on 10th November 1878 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Levison (post 1700) +

  • Herbert Cheman Levison, American civil engineer of transportation, planner in New Haven Connecticut


The Levison Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Aide dieu au second Chretien Levis
Motto Translation: God help the second Chretien Levis


  1. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1835
  2. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 19). Emigrants to Australia NSW 1860 -88 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/nsw_passenger_lists_1860_88.pdf


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