Levey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Netherlands
France

Noble surnames, such as Levey, evoke images of the ancient homeland of the French people. The original bearer of the name Levey, 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 Levey family originally derived its surname from the name of the place in Levy Saint Nom in île-de-France.

Early Origins of the Levey family

The surname Levey 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 Levey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Levey 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 Levey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Levey 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 Levey 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 Levey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Levey Ranking

In the United States, the name Levey is the 16,453^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Levey migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Levey Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Florence Levey, aged 17, who immigrated to the United States, in 1893
C. Levey, aged 49, who landed in America, in 1894

Levey Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Charles B. Levey, who immigrated to the United States, in 1904
Emma Levey, aged 38, who landed in America, in 1905
A. B. Levey, aged 37, who immigrated to the United States, in 1906
Frank H. Levey, aged 41, who settled in America from High Badin England, in 1908
Chas. J. Levey, aged 63, who landed in America from Cape Colony, Capetown, in 1909
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Levey (post 1700) +

Gilbert Levey (1951-2023), known as Goa Gil, an American-born musician, DJ, and remixer
Stuart A. Levey, American first Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence
Stanley Levey (1914-1971), American journalist for the New York Times, CBS News and Scripps-Howard Newspapers
Edgar C. Levey (1881-1962), American politician, 42nd Speaker of the California Assembly
Brian Levey (b. 1984), American soccer goalkeeper for the Real Maryland Monarchs
Sir Michael Vincent Levey LVO (1927-2008), British art historian, Director of the National Gallery (1973 to 1986)
Gregory Levey (b. 1978), Canadian journalist from Toronto
Elliot Levey, English stage, television and film actor
Barnett Levey (1798-1837), Australian pioneer

The Levey 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

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/