Fun Facts About the Name Lev
- More than 3 thousand babies named Lev: U.S. records list 3,081 babies given the name Lev from 1880 through 2025. Even 84 girls received the name Lev - about 1 girl for every 36 boys.
What Does the Name Lev Mean?
Lev is a name with two independent origins: in Hebrew it means "heart," and in Russian it means "lion." The Hebrew Lev (לֵב) is the ordinary noun for the heart, both as a physical organ and as the inner self, mind, or will. It comes from a Semitic root also seen in Akkadian libbu and Arabic lubb ("core, heart"). The Russian Lev (Лев) means "lion." It is the Russian form of the Greek name Leōn (Λέων) and the Latin Leo, both meaning "lion." The Russian common noun lev ("lion") is identical in form to the name. These two names are homographs, not variants of each other: the Hebrew name is not derived from the Russian one, and the Russian name is not derived from the Hebrew one.
Lev Name History & Origins
The Hebrew name Lev is the biblical noun lev ("heart") used as a given name. Although the word is common in the Hebrew Bible, it is not the name of a biblical figure. As a given name, Lev is used in Israel and in Jewish communities, where it may be chosen for its literal meaning. It is a different name from the biblical Levi (לֵוִי); any use of Lev as a short form of Levi is a separate English practice.
The Russian name Lev developed through Orthodox Christian naming. It corresponds to the Greek name Leōn and the Latin Leo, and it appears in the Russian Orthodox calendar as the Russian form of saints named Leo. In Russian, the personal name is identical to the common noun lev ("lion"). The name has been borne by figures such as the writer Leo Tolstoy, whose Russian name was Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy, and the physicist Lev Landau. In English-speaking countries, Lev is used as both a Jewish name and a Russian name.
How Popular is the Name Lev?
Lev has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2025. Its best rank was #1,001 in 2025.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #10,555 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 2024 | #10,699 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 2023 | #12,884 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2022 | #11,796 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2021 | #12,940 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2020 | #9,274 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 2019 | #11,965 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2018 | #14,887 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2017 | #15,159 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2014 | #13,945 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2010 | #16,128 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,001 | 227 | 0.0133% |
| 2024 | #1,040 | 213 | 0.0124% |
| 2023 | #1,092 | 197 | 0.0115% |
| 2022 | #1,018 | 219 | 0.0126% |
| 2021 | #1,055 | 203 | 0.0116% |
| 2020 | #1,109 | 178 | 0.0103% |
| 2019 | #1,005 | 208 | 0.0116% |
| 2018 | #1,078 | 184 | 0.0101% |
| 2017 | #1,298 | 140 | 0.0076% |
| 2016 | #1,214 | 156 | 0.0082% |
| 2015 | #1,295 | 138 | 0.0072% |
| 2014 | #1,481 | 110 | 0.0057% |
| 2013 | #1,583 | 98 | 0.0052% |
| 2012 | #1,903 | 76 | 0.0040% |
| 2011 | #1,880 | 75 | 0.0039% |
| 2010 | #1,993 | 69 | 0.0036% |
| 2009 | #2,275 | 58 | 0.0029% |
| 2008 | #2,660 | 47 | 0.0023% |
| 2007 | #2,848 | 42 | 0.0020% |
| 2006 | #2,774 | 42 | 0.0020% |
| 2005 | #4,002 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 2004 | #4,203 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2003 | #2,824 | 35 | 0.0018% |
| 2002 | #5,600 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2001 | #6,273 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2000 | #3,385 | 25 | 0.0013% |
| 1999 | #5,216 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1998 | #5,068 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1997 | #4,379 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1996 | #4,308 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1995 | #5,752 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1994 | #4,696 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1993 | #7,288 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1992 | #8,037 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1991 | #4,376 | 13 | 0.0006% |
| 1990 | #6,878 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1987 | #6,616 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1985 | #4,978 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1982 | #4,115 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1981 | #4,781 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1980 | #6,853 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1979 | #4,667 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1978 | #6,381 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1977 | #5,555 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1976 | #3,883 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1974 | #4,437 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1971 | #5,353 | 5 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
