indicate the level to which a name has been verified.
Meaning & History
Derived from the Italian word levante, meaning "rising" and the French word levant, meaning "to rise". The term entered the English language in 1497 and was used to describe the "Mediterranean lands east of Italy" by referring to the rising of the sun in the east. As a surname it was most likely used to denote a person who came from the Levant.