Talk:Leavitt (surname)

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There seems to me to be need for disambiguation for this page. I added an edit as follows: "The name first appeared in early records of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 17th century as a variation of the name of Levet or Levett, the earliest spelling of the name in American records, and the name of John Levett (Leavitt) of Hingham." John Levet (or Levett) was the first American settler by the name. He appears in Dorchester, Mass., records in 1634. When admitted a freeman in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, his name appears as Levett. He removed to Hingham, Mass., in 1636, and his name appears subsequently in Suffolk County deeds as both Levet and Levett. However, at some time during his lifetime, his name began appearing in Hingham records as Leavitt. This corruption of the old Anglo-Norman name was the first instance of the name in American records. Subsequent descendants of John Leavitt, or Deacon John Leavitt (Puritan) as he was known, continued the tradition of spelling of "Leavitt." There appear to have been subsequent Anglicizations of the Jewish name Levitt into the name Leavitt, largely in the 20th century. The two names have different origins. The current name Leavitt came from Levett, or Levet, a corruption of the French name 'de Livet.' The Jewish surname Levitt seems to originate with Levi.MarmadukePercy (talk) 21:18, 23 February 2008 (UTC)