Lefever
A French surname meaning “the smith,” from a word for an ironworker or blacksmith.
The #9,741 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 92,800 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Lefever is an English spelling of French Le Fevre / Lefèvre, a surname built on Old French fevre, meaning “smith.” The French word ultimately goes back to Latin faber, “craftsman” or “workman,” especially one who works in metal. In surname form, it originally identified someone by trade: the blacksmith or metalworker in a community.
History
The name is well established in French-speaking regions and was carried into English-language records in several spellings, including Lefever, Lefevre, Lefebre, and Lefavour. In the United States, these forms are part of a wider family of French-origin surnames that became more visible through immigration and spelling variation. The surname is also associated with the common French name Lefebvre, a very close cognate.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In older English surname lists, Lefever is often grouped with other French spellings because the final consonants were frequently dropped or respelled in anglicized forms.
From the historical record
“FEVER. From 0. Fr. Lefevre, "the smith." Cf. the U. S. names Favor, Lefever, Lefevre, Lefebre, Lefavour, Lefavor. FIFE, var. Fyfe and Fyffe, from co. Fife, Scotland. FIGG. "A Feg occurs in Yorkshire ante 1086, Domesday, and a Figge in Kent, 31 Edw. III. In the latter county, at a”
— Ludus Patronymicus; or, the etymology of curious surnames