Surname Levinzon - Meaning and Origin
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Levinzon: What does the surname Levinzon mean?
The surname Levinzon is typically of Jewish origin, and can be found in countries including Russia, Poland, Latvia, and Germany. It is derived from the Hebrew name Levinson, which is a combination of the words Levi and son, thus meaning “son of Levi”. Levi was the third son of the Biblical patriarch Jacob, and was known for his spiritual leadership and fundamental role in creating the Tribe of Levi.
The Levinson family lineage is believed to have originated with Levi’s grandchildren, and is now a well-established clan of Orthodox Jews. Under the Czar’s rule in Russia, Jewish families with this surname were required to take on a patronymic or surname in order to be far more easily identified and catalogued in official documents. Therefore, many of the Russian Levinson families adopted the suffix ‘on’ and henceforth became ‘Levinzon’.
The surname is believed to have been spread across many countries due to the mass migration of Jews from Russia during the late 1800s and early 1900s. This makes it a relatively widespread surname, though it is relatively uncommon. The majority of people with the Levinzon surname are still tightly knit Jews who share the same heritage, culture, and identity.
For many Levinzon families, the unity of the family is still extremely important, and having a unified surname reminds people of their shared heritage, uniting them not only with one another, but also with the incredibly strong legacy of the Levinson family clan.
Order DNA origin analysisLevinzon: Where does the name Levinzon come from?
The Levinzon surname is primarily found today in Russia, Israel, and the United States.
In Russia, the Levinzon surname is most commonly found in the cities of Moscow and Kazan. It is believed that the family most likely migrated to this area during the 19th century, when Jews were transitioning away from the Pale of Settlement that had existed since the 17th century.
In Israel, the surname is a rather recent addition to the country, as most migrants bearing the name are believed to have immigrated there from Russia after World War II.
Finally, a limited number of Levinzons are found in the United States. Specifically, the US tends to be the main residence of Jewish American immigrants from Geneva and Marseille, France. These immigrants likely immigrated before World War II, and some are believed to have had family ties to the Levinzons in Russia and Israel since the early 20th century.
Overall, the Levinzon surname is difficult to trace to a single point of origin. Its currently most common locations are amongst Russian and Israeli Jews who immigrated to those locations in the 19th and 20th centuries. Consequently, the Levinzon surname is widely dispersed around the world and is an example of the significant cultural diasporas that have come to characterize the Jewish people.
Variations of the surname Levinzon
The surname Levinzon is derived from the given name Lev(y)a. It is commonly associated with Jewish families that have roots in the Russian Empire. Variants of the name include Levinson, Levinsohn, Levinshteyn, Levinshtein, Levintin, Levyenson, Levyensohn, Levyenshteyn, Levyenshtein, Levyentin, and Levian.
In some cases it is also spelled as Levinson, Levinsson, Levinszón, Levinson, Lewinsky, Lewianski, Lewien, Lewin, Lewinsohn, Lewinshteyn, Lewinshtein, Lewintin, and Levonszák.
It is very common for people of Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry from Eastern Europe to identify with the family name Levinzon in different ways, depending on the time and place of their origin.
As a matter of fact, many Jews in the past migrated to different parts of Europe and brought with them the family name of Levinzon. This resulted in several variations of spelling that are commonly seen today, including Levinsohn in Germany, Lowenstein in Austria, Lewinski in Poland, Levyenson in the Netherlands, and Lewinson in Sweden.
Nevertheless, all these surnames have the same origin and likely descend from the same family branch, which is why they are often grouped together and used interchangeably when pertaining to Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry.
Famous people with the name Levinzon
- Sofia Levinzon: Sofia Levinzon is a lawyer and recreational player from Seattle, Washington and is a regular at the World Series of Poker.
- Roman Levinzon: Roman Levinzon is a professor of mechanical engineering at Technion: Israel Institute of Technology.
- Sergey Levinzon: Sergey Levinzon is a vice president in Wealth Management technology at Morgan Stanley.
- Oleg Levinzon: Oleg Levinzon is an accomplished economist and analyst in the industry of energy and commodities.
- Nikolai Levinzon: Nikolai Levinzon is a Russian actor and director, known for his work in films such as The Sun Thief and Jupiter.
- Mark Levinzon: Mark Levinzon is a retired financial executive and CEO of the liquor company Pernod Ricard USA.
- Dmitri Levinzon: Dmitri Levinzon is a board certified ophthalmologist and surgeon in the USA.
- Sabina Levinzon: Sabina Levinzon is a well respected luxury events planner in Moscow, Russia.
- Talia Levinzon: Talia Levinzon is an author, best known for her autobiographical novel Girl Out of Water.
- Irwin Levinzon: Irwin Levinzon is a documentary filmmaker and director, known for his work on The King’s Son.