LEVER
Recorded variant spellings include Lev-Er
Lever is a surname of English origin, its earliest presence recorded within the British Isles. It is a Christian name borne in England and used by families who have traced their ancestry back to the medieval period.
The most widely cited derivation is from the Old English word leofor, meaning “reed” or “rush”. In this sense, the name was probably a topographic label applied to a person who dwelt near a patch of reeds or rushes. It may also have served as a descriptive nickname for an individual who possessed a slender or flexible physique, as the modern sense of the word lever is “nimble” or “agile”. An occupational explanation has also been suggested, connecting the name to a maker or seller of mechanical levers used in a range of devices of the period, although such a link remains less firmly established.
Variant spellings of the surname, namely Levers and Leaver, demonstrate a broader linguistic range. A different line of evidence points to an old French origin, with the word levre meaning hare. In this view the name would have begun as a nickname for a fleet‑footed person or, in some cases, as a shortened form of the Norman French leve(i)er, a harrier or hunter of hares. The earliest bearer of the name in complete form is recorded as Roger Leverier of Cambridgeshire in 1230.
The surname also retains a strong locational component. The villages of Great Lever and Little Lever in Lancashire are named with the same root, and the family name may have been adopted by those who lived near these places. Furthermore, a personal name of Old English origin, Leofhere—composed of “leof”, meaning beloved, and “here”, meaning army—has been proposed as a source in certain contexts.
The first documented spelling of the name appears in the Assize Court Rolls of Lancashire in a witness statement dated 1246, under the entry “Dande de Lever”. A later and notable bearer of the name is Ralph Lever of Conon of Durham, who, in 1567, compiled The Arte of Reason, a treatise on logic published in 1573. Additional references to the surname are found in 'The Frenchman', covering the years from 1216 to 1272 during the reign of King Henry 111.
Typical given names associated with the Lever surname
Male
- Andrew
- Brian
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Robert
Female
- Catherine
- Christine
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Janet
- Julie
- Karen
- Margaret
- Rachel
- Rebecca
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Leaver
- Levers
- Lewer
- Leverson
- Lewers
- Lafer
- Laffer
- Lafere
- Elver
- Leve
- Levere
- Laeuffer
- Lafaurie
- Laffar
- Laffere
- Laffor
- Laufer
- Lauffer
- Lavarie
- Laver
- Lavere
- Laverey
- Laverie
- Lavern
- Lavers
- Lavert
- Lavery
- Lavier
- Laviers
- Lavor
- Lavour
- Lavrie
- Leafer
- Leavers
- Leavery
- Leavor
- Leefarr
- Leefurr
- Leever
- Leevers
- Lefeire
- Lefeore
- Lefer
- Lefere
- Leffer
- Leffers
- Leifer
- Leivars
- Leiver
- Leivers
- Levair
- Levar
- Levart
- Levear
- Levee
- Leveret
- Leverit
- Levern
- Leverne
- Leverno
- Leverque
- Levert
- Leverty
- Levery
- Leveyer
- Levier
- Levierge
- Leviers
- Levirs
- Levoir
- Levor
- Levora
- Levria
- Liefer
- Liever
- Lievers
- Lievre
- Liver
- Livera
- Livier
- Liviero
- Llufrio
- Loafer
- Lofaro
- Loofer
- Loufer
- Louvier
- Louvre
- Lover
- Lovera
- Lovier
- Luver
- Lyver
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Lever in...
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Morse
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Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Lever are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Hobnob.
There are approximately 5,087 people named Lever in the UK. That makes it roughly the 1,854th most common surname in Britain. Around 78 in a million people in Britain are named Lever.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Lever
- William Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme - Industrialist, philanthropist, and politician (1851 to 1925)
- John Lever - Test and County cricketer
- Philip Lever, 3rd Viscount Leverhulme - Noble (1915 to 2000)
- Harold Lever, Baron Lever of Manchester - Barrister and Labour Party politician (1914 to 1995)
- Leslie Lever, Baron Lever - Politician (1905 to 1977)
- Mark Lever - Football player
- Paul Lever - Diplomat
- Peter Lever - Test and County cricketer
- Colin Lever - Cricketer
- Ashton Lever - Antiquarian (1729 to 1788)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.