Levin as a first name
Maynard Gerber
We have a number of people listed in our archives from both the
1700's and 1800's, who had the first name "Levin". The first rabbi
of Stockholm was "Levin Hirsch Levi". Then there was a cantor around
the turn of the 1800's, whose name was "Levin Joseph". His Hebrew
name was Arye Leib ben Yosef. The question is: Why is "Levin" used
as a first name? We all know it as a surname. In the case of the
cantor, there is no indication in our records that he was in fact
a levi. Even if he was, why not just use the common first name of
"Levi" (as in Levi Strauss), instead of "Levin".
Kantor Maynard Gerber
The Jewish Community of Stockholm
Box 7427
103 91 Stockholm
SWEDEN
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Dick Plotz
Maynard Gerber asks:
<<Why is "Levin" used as a first name? We all know it as a surname
...why not just use the common first name of "Levi" (as in Levi Strauss),
instead of "Levin".>>
In the great majority of cases, the name "Levin", whether as a given
name or a surname, stems from the Yiddish for "lion" rather than from
the tribe of Levi. Related names are "Aryeh" (Hebrew for lion), "Leib"
(another version of the Yiddish), and "Yehuda" (see Jacob's blessings
at the end of Genesis).
The surname "Levy" among Ashkenazim may actually stem from this source
more often than it does from the tribe. Certainly most Ashkenazim
surnamed "Levy" are not Levites, although I am not aware of statistics
breaking down this group into those whose original name was "Levy" from
"Yehuda Leib" versus those who assumed the name "Levy" somewhere during
the course of their migration from Eastern Europe as a simplification of
an original surname that would be unfamiliar to Western ears (we all know
this didn't happen at Ellis Island, right?) ;-)}
I would be surprised to learn that Levi Strauss's Jewish name was "Levi"
rather than "Yehuda Leib," a much more common given name.
--
Dick Plotz
Providence RI
Di...@Plotz.com
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