Levis History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France

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

Early Origins of the Levis family

The surname Levis 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 Levis family

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

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

Levis Ranking

In the United States, the name Levis is the 14,565^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Levis migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Levis Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Mary Levis, who settled in Charles Town, South Carolina in 1767

Levis Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Elizabeth Levis, aged 24, settled in Philadelphia in 1820
William Levis, who settled in Philadelphia, in 1868
Catherine Levis, aged 21, who immigrated to the United States, in 1895

Levis Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Angela Levis, aged 41, who landed in America, in 1902
Charles Parker Levis, who immigrated to the United States, in 1906
Edgar Levis, aged 20, who immigrated to the United States, in 1906
Edgar S. Levis, aged 37, who landed in America, in 1907
Edward Levis, aged 24, who landed in America, in 1907
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Levis (post 1700) +

Adolph "Al" Levis (1913-2001), American businessman and philanthropist known as the inventor of the Slim Jim jerky snack food
Joseph Levis (1905-2005), American silver and bronze Olympic foil fencer, inducted into The Roll of Honor at the US Fencing Hall of Fame (USFA)
Albert J. Levis (b. 1937), American psychiatrist, founder and director of the Museum of the Creative Process in Manchester, Vermont
Charles H. Levis (1860-1926), American Major League Baseball first baseman in the late 1800s
George Levis (1894-1980), American college basketball player and coach during the 1910s and 1920s
Patrick Cannon Levis (b. 1982), American actor from Silver Spring, Maryland
Larry Patrick Levis (1946-1996), American poet
Brett Levis (b. 1993), Canadian soccer player who plays for Valour FC as a midfielder
Chris Levis (b. 1976), Canadian National Lacrosse League goaltender for the Colorado Mammoth
Carroll Richard Levis (1910-1968), Canadian-born talent scout, impresario and television and radio personality from Toronto, but moved to England in 1935 where he hosted a talent competition for young people called The Carroll Levis Discovery Show

The Levis 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/