| Ezra | Levi | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | help | joined, attached |
| Origin | hebrew | hebrew |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | EZ-rah | LEE-vye |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2024 (8,822) | 2022 (9,869) |
| In 2025 | 8,126 | 9,642 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Near its peak |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Ezra | Levi |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 47,728 | 57,122 |
| 2010s | 38,650 | 78,001 |
| 2000s | 8,326 | 29,477 |
| 1990s | 2,854 | 20,408 |
| 1980s | 1,755 | 12,648 |
| 1970s | 1,271 | 3,798 |
| 1960s | 588 | 1,501 |
| 1950s | 677 | 1,997 |
| 1940s | 574 | 1,774 |
| 1930s | 819 | 1,842 |
| 1920s | 1,373 | 2,396 |
| 1910s | 1,081 | 1,773 |
| 1900s | 304 | 664 |
| 1890s | 405 | 685 |
| 1880s | 356 | 927 |
From Hebrew ezra, 'help, aid' (root '-z-r). Borne by the scribe of the biblical Book of Ezra. Likely a shortened theophoric name (compare Azariah, 'Yahweh has helped'), with the divine element dropped.
From the Hebrew verb lawah, 'to join, attach, accompany.' Genesis 29:34 explains the name by Leah's hope that her husband will now be 'joined' to her — a biblical folk etymology, but one that rests on the genuine root l-w-h.
Levi is more popular than Ezra today: about 9,642 US babies were given the name Levi in 2025, compared with 8,126 named Ezra.
Ezra means help (hebrew origin), while Levi means joined, attached (hebrew origin).
In US records, Ezra first appears in 1880 and Levi in 1880, so Ezra has the longer recorded history.