Levine History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Israel

The history of the Levine family goes back to the Medieval landscape of northwestern France, to the regions known as Brittany and Normandy. The name Lavigne is derived from the Old French word "vigne," meaning "vine," and as such it is likely that the first bearers of this name owned or worked on a vineyard. 1

Early Origins of the Levine family

The surname Levine was first found in Brittany where they held a family seat in the seigneury of Haute Morays.

They later branched to Houle in that same province. They were closely allied to this latter House of Houlle de Kermassonet. Branching to the region of Tournai they intermarried with the family of Hennebert. Branches were later found in Maine, Le Mans, Bourbonnais, Guyenne, and Artois. In the south of France they held a family seat in the region of Languedoc at Puylaroque.

Joseph Lavigne, son of Pierre and Jeanne (née Gazaille), settled in Contrecoeur, Quebec and married Marie-Anne Gareau on 12th November 1727. 2

Early History of the Levine family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Levine research. More information is included under the topic Early Levine History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Levine Spelling Variations

There were a great number of spelling variations in French surnames. One reason for this was the wide variety of cultural influences present in France during the early development of the French language. The many spelling variations of the name include Lavigne, Levine, Levin, Levigne, Levigny, Laveine, Lavignes, Lavene, Des Vignes, deVigne, Devignes, Devigne, De lavigne and many more.

Early Notables of the Levine family

More information is included under the topic Early Levine Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Levine Ranking

In the United States, the name Levine is the 950^th most popular surname with an estimated 32,331 people with that name. 3

Levine migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Levine Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Edward Levine, aged 32, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Duchess of Argyle" in 1842

Contemporary Notables of the name Levine (post 1700) +

Leon Levine (1937-2023), American businessman and philanthropist, founder of the Family Dollar chain of discount stores in 1959
Ellen Levine (1942-2022), American media executive, Editorial Director of Hearst Magazines (2006-2016), responsible for the launches of numerous successful magazines, including O: The Oprah Magazine and Food Network Magazine
Mark Jay Levine (1938-2022), American jazz pianist, trombonist, composer, author and educator from Concord, New Hampshire
Baruch Abraham Levine (1930-2021), American Skirball Professor Emeritus of Bible and Ancient Near Eastern Studies at New York University from Cleveland, Ohio
Rachel Leland Levine (b. 1957), American pediatrician, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Health from 2017 to 2021, Assistant Secretary for Health
Beth Cindy Levine (1960-2020), American investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), Professor of Internal Medicine and Microbiology
Harold I. Levine (1922-2017), American mathematician who was professor at Stanford University
Stephen Levine (1937-2016), American poet, author and teacher
Donald Nathan Levine (1931-2015), American sociologist, educator, social theorist and writer
Nat Levine (1899-1989), American film producer who produced 105 films between 1921 and 1946
... (Another 14 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Levine family +

Triangle Waist Company

Miss Pauline Levine (b. 1892), Russian Jewish garment worker who was working at Triangle Waist Company factory at the Asch building in Greenwich Village on the 25th March 1911 when fire broke out; she died in the fire 4

Citations +

Dionne, N.-E., Origine Des Familles Canadiennes-Français. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1969. Print.
Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire (retrieved on 3rd August 2021.) Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle_Shirtwaist_Factory_fire