Levin (surname)

Levin (original Russian: Левин) is a surname with several word origins. It is a common Jewish name (Levine/Levin/Levi)

In the Jewish (a variant of Levy) it is derivative of one of the 12 Jewish biblical tribes, the tribe of Levi, whose descendants the Levites had distinctive duties in the Temple period.

In the Russian variant, Levin comes from lev (лев ) which means lion in Russian. It can also be pronounced Lyovin ( Лёвин) which is a patronymic form of Lëva.

Leo Tolstoy's first name in Russian is Lev. In the Russian novel Anna Karenina one of the protagonists is named Levin (possibly named after Leo Tolstoy)

The Levin (Левин) name has a coat of arms and has been registered in the Russian Imperial heraldry book since the 1700s.

In some cases the surname Levin is derived from the German personal name Liebwin. In other cases the surname represents a form of the Yiddish word for "lion" (לייב leyv).

It is also often an anglicisation of the name Lavigne, especially in the northeast US.

Other variations include Lavin, Lavine, Le Neve, Levene, Levi, Levina, Levine, Levitt, Levy, Lewin, Lieven, Levins and Levinson.

People with the name "Levin" (and Russian feminine variant Levina) include:

People

In arts and media

In literature and journalism

Adam Levin, fiction author
Alan Levin (filmmaker) (1926–2006), American filmmaker and journalist
Arnold Levin, New Yorker cartoonist
Bernard Levin, (1928–2004), British writer and broadcaster
Daniel Levin (writer) (born c. 1980), American attorney and novelist
David P. Levin (born 1958), American filmmaker
Deborah Louise Levin (born 1967), Canadian clairvoyant and author
Diane Levin (born 1947), American author and educator
Hanoch Levin (1943–1999), Israeli writer and theater director
Harry Levin (1912–1994), U.S. literary critic
Ira Levin (1929–2007), U.S. novelist, playwright and songwriter
Mark Levin (born 1957), American conservative radio host, lawyer, author, and political commentator who served in the Reagan administration
Meyer Levin (1905–1981), U.S. novelist
Robert Levin (writer) (born 1939), American fiction writer

In music

Benjamin Levin (born 1988), American record producer and songwriter known professionally as Benny Blanco
Beth Levin (musician), American pianist
David Levin (singer), American singer-songwriter
Harold Levin, American violist, composer, and conductor
Ira Levin (1929–2007), U.S. novelist, playwright and songwriter
Josef Lhévinne (1874–1944), Russian pianist
Robert Levin (Norwegian pianist) (1912–1996), Norwegian pianist and composer
Robert D. Levin (born 1947), U.S. composer and musicologist
Tony Levin (born 1946), U.S. bass player
Walter Levin (1924–2017), German-born violinist, founder member of the LaSalle Quartet
Zara Levina (1906–1976), Ukrainian composer

In other media

Alan Levin (filmmaker) (1926–2006), American filmmaker and journalist
Charles Levin (actor) (1949–2019), U.S. actor
David P. Levin (born 1958), American producer, director, writer and editor
Hanoch Levin (1943–1999), Israeli writer and theater director
Harvey Levin, TV and movie producer
Ira Levin (1929–2007), U.S. novelist, playwright and songwriter
Marc Levin, Jewish American filmmaker
Mark Levin (director) (born 1966), American director and screenwriter
Roland Levin (born 1957), Latvian photographer

In business

Adam K. Levin, former director of the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs and businessman in consumer credit-related businesses
Alan Levin (business), American businessmen, CFO of drug maker Pfizer
David Levin (businessman) (born 1962), British businessman
Gerald M. Levin (born 1939), U.S. businessman with Time Warner
Nathaniel Levin (1818–1903), New Zealand businessman and politician
Neil David Levin (1954–2001), former Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey who was killed in the September 11 attacks
Philip J. Levin (c. 1909–1971), American real estate developer and investor
William Levin (1845–1893), New Zealand businessman and politician

In government, law, and politics

Adam K. Levin, former director of the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs and businessman in consumer credit-related businesses
Burton Levin (1930 – 2016), American diplomat, former Ambassador to Burma
Carl Levin (born 1934), US Democratic Senator from Michigan; brother of Sander Levin, cousin of Charles Levin
Charles Levin (judge) (born 1926), Michigan jurist; cousin of Carl and Sander Levin
Daniel Levin (attorney) (active 2004-2005), Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel of the U.S. Justice Department
David L. Levin (born 1949), American politician from Missouri
Ezra G. Levin, American lawyer
Fred Levin (born 1937), US plaintiffs' attorney in the state of Florida
Joe Levin, American lawyer
Lewis Charles Levin (1808–1860), first Jewish Representative to the U.S. Congress
Mark Levin (born 1957), American conservative radio host, lawyer, author, and political commentator who served in the Reagan administration
Mike Levin (born 1978), California Democratic politician
Nathaniel Levin (1818–1903), New Zealand businessman and politician
Sander M. Levin (born 1931), US Democratic Representative from Michigan; brother of Carl, cousin of Charles
Susan Bass Levin, New Jersey, US politician
Theodore Levin (1897–1970), U.S. federal jurist
William Levin (1845–1893), New Zealand businessman and politician
Yariv Levin Israeli MK and Minister of Tourism
Yuval Levin, member of White House domestic policy staff

In science and academia

A. Leo Levin (1919–2015), American law professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School
Alan Levin (internet governance), South African computer scientist and internet activist
Beth Levin (linguist), American linguist
Diane Levin, American author and educator
Hjördis Levin (born 1930), Swedish historian and author
Janna Levin, theoretical cosmologist
Jack Levin, professor at Northeastern University
Jon Levin (born 1966), physicist
Kenneth Levin (born 1944), American psychiatrist and author
Leonid Levin (born 1948), Russian-born computer scientist
Michael Levin, professor of philosophy at the City University of New York
Nora Levin (1916–1989), American Holocaust historian
Petra Levin, American microbiologist
Rick Levin (born 1947), American economist, president of Yale University
Simon A. Levin, theoretical ecologist, professor of biology at Princeton University
Vladimir Levin, Russian mathematician and alleged criminal hacker

In sport and games

Aleksandr Mitrofanovich Levin (1871–1929), Russian chess player
Aleksandr Romanovich Levin (born 1991), Russian footballer
Bengt Levin (1958–2020), Swedish orienteering competitor
Bobby Levin, American bridge player
Camille Levin (born 1990), American soccer player
Corey Levin (born 1994), American football player
David Levin (born 1999), Israeli ice hockey player
David N. Levin (1948–2017), American balloonist
Eyal Levin (born 1986), Israeli Olympic sailor
Jill Levin (born 1961), American bridge player
Savannah Levin (born 1995), American soccer player
Tatyana Levina (born 1977), Russian sprinter

In other fields

Gilbert Levin, American engineer
Janice H. Levin (1913–2001), American philanthropist and art collector from New York City
Jennifer Levin (1968–1986), murder victim in New York City's Central Park
Jonathan Levin (teacher) (1966–1997), American murder victim
Rob Levin (1955–2006), founder of the freenode IRC network
Vladimir Levin, Russian mathematician and alleged criminal hacker

Fictional characters

Kevin Levin, protagonist/antagonist from the television series "Ben 10"
Konstantin Levin, a protagonist in Tolstoy's novel "Anna Karenina"
Patti Levin, character in "The Leftovers"
Savannah Levine, character in Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series

References

This page lists people with the surname Levin.
If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to the link.