Levene - Name

This interesting surname recorded in the spellings of Levine, Levene, Levin and Levane is almost always Olde English pre 7th century in origin. It derives from a byname of the period "Leofwine", which translates as beloved friend. When recorded as Levin, the name can be Ashkenazic in origin, and the patronymic form of the surname Levi. However it was only during the "reign" of Oliver Cromwell (1651 - 1658) that the Jewish people were re-admitted to Britain after being expelled by Edward 1st in 1275, and they had little impact on surname origins. Where the nameholders are Jewish the origin is from the son of Jacob and Leah and has the meaning "joining". As a name of Olde English origins, it has particular significance as being a fairly rare survivor of the Anglo-Saxon period before the Norman Conquest of 1066.Following the conquest, it became "politically correct" to adopt French names, and this applied for nearly two centuries. Amongst the early church recordings in London are the christenings of Maria Adams Levine on Aprll 2nd 1663 and Thomas Levine on April 3rd 1684, both at St. Martins in the Fields, Westminster, whilst on Christmas Day 1695, in the reign of William of Orange (1689 - 1702), Anne Levane married John Cawett at the church of St James, Duke Street, London. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Hugo Levine, which was dated 1232, in the "Calender of the Patent Rolls", Lincolnshire, during the reign of King Henry 111, known as "The Frenchman", 1216 - 1272.