Leven

See also: leven, levén, lévén, lęven, and 'leven

English

Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Proper noun

Leven

1. A coastal town in Fife council area, Scotland (OS grid ref NO3800).
2. A village in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England (OS grid ref TA1045).
3. A short river in Dunbartonshire, Scotland, which flows from Loch Lomond to the Firth of Clyde.
4. A river in Perth and Kinross council area and Fife council area, Scotland, which flows from Loch Leven to the Firth of Forth at the town of Leven.
5. A short river in Cumbria, England, which flows from Lake Windermere to Morecambe Bay on the Irish Sea.
6. A river in North Yorkshire, England, which flows into the River Tees.
7. a Scottish earldom.

Derived terms

• Levenmouth
• Loch Leven

 

Etymology 2

Various origins:

• A variant of the surname Levin.
• From the Old English personal name Lēofwine, composed of the elements lēof (“dear, beloved”) + wine (“friend”).
• Borrowed from German Leven, a surname which shares the same origin of the Old English personal name.
• Habitational surname from any of various places in Scotland and England.

Proper noun

Leven (plural Levens)

1. A surname.

Statistics

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Leven is the 36695^th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 609 individuals. Leven is most common among White (79.15%) and Hispanic/Latino (12.81%) individuals.

Further reading

• Hanks, Patrick, editor (2003), “Leven”, in Dictionary of American Family Names, volume 2, New York: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 429.

Anagrams

• Nevel, elven