Leverett
A surname most likely from the French *levrette*, meaning a female greyhound, probably first used for a swift-footed person.
The #7,359 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 68,201 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The best-supported explanation connects Leverett with French *levrette*, the feminine of *levrier*, meaning a greyhound or hunting dog. In surname use, this was probably a nickname for someone thought to be quick on their feet, rather than a direct reference to the animal itself. Some older writers tried to link it to English or Anglo-Saxon personal names, but that is less convincing than the French explanation.
History
The name is recorded in England by the early modern period, and it appears in historical surname dictionaries chiefly as a variant of Leveret/Leveridge. Modern scholars such as Weekley preferred a French derivation, while some 19th-century authors explored older English-name alternatives. In English-speaking countries, Leverett remained uncommon but established, and it is still found in the United States today.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A leveret is also the English word for a young hare, which probably helped later readers misread the surname’s origin, even though the older surname explanation points instead to the French greyhound word.
From the historical record
“called Lever iu Lancashire. LEVERETT. Not the young hare— but the female greyhound — Fr. Uvn'tfe ; proba- bly applied to a swift-footed person. In like manner Leveridge, if not local, may be the Fr. levric/te, wliich is a diminutive of levrette. LEVERIDGE. See under Leverett. LEVERIKE. A corruption of Leofric, an…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom