| View category for people with the Levingston surname |
| Levingston | |
| Origin: | Scotland, and perhaps Ireland |
|---|---|
| Meaning: | Leofinges tún = Leofing's estate |
| Variant(s): | Levingstone Livingston Livingstone |
| Wikipedia: | Search Wikipedia |
The Scottish Lowland family of Levingston is said to have been founded by Leofing (Latin Levingus) in the early 12th century. Although his name does not appear in any surviving document, there is a charter which contains the name "Thurstanus vilii Levingii" (Thurstan, son of Leofing). Leofing's estate (Leofinges tún) became the place named Levingston/Livingston/LIvingstone in Linlithgow, Scotland. The family said to have descended from Leofing held at times the Scottish peerages of Lord Livingston, Earl of Linlithgow, Earl of Callendar, Earl of Newburgh and Viscount of Kilsyth. The Livingston family of New York descend from this family.
Another family arose in the Scottish Highlands, when the Clan MacLea Anglicised their name as Levingston. Dr David Livingstone is a noted member of this family.
In the 18th century in County Wicklow, there were at at least four men named John Levingston who have left descendants in Australia and the United States, but whether they were descended from one of the Scottish families, or whether the name had independantly appeared in Ireland is not known.
The name Levingston also occurs in the United States as the Anglicisation of names like "Levinsohn" from Central Europe.
The Levingston family is also an African American American Family whose roots descend from Louisiana.