Leventis (Λεβέντης) is a
Greek word for describing a brave man, derived from the Greek name for the
Levant. Because ''nt'' is pronounced /nd/ in Greek, the name is sometimes spelled ''Levendis''. The etymology of Leventis is given in the Oxford Dictionary of American Family Names:
Alternatively, it may originate from the Turkish word
Levend
Levend or levendi (Arabic ''lawend'') was a name for irregular soldiers. The term originated with the Ottoman Navy, but eventually spread to encompass most irregular troops.
The origin of the term is probably from Italian ''levanti'', and was us ...
.
Contemporary Meaning
In contemporary Greek, "levendis" means a handsome and gallant male.
People
{{surname
Here is a partial list of people named Leventis or Levendis:
*
Anastasios George Leventis
Anastasios George Leventis ( el, Αναστάσιος Γ. Λεβέντης; December 1902 – October 25, 1978) was a Greek Cypriot businessman who founded a major merchandise trading firm, A.G. Leventis (Nigeria) Plc, in West Africa. A dominant f ...
(1902-1978), Greek-Cypriot businessman and dominant figure in the economy of many West African countries and especially Nigeria. Held the title of Babalaje of
Egbaland.
*
Andrew G. Leventis
Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is frequently shortened to "Andy" or "Drew". The word is derived ...
(born 1980), American painter and professor
*
Phil P. Leventis
Phil P. Leventis is a former Democratic member of the South Carolina Senate who represented the 35th District from 1980 to 2012.
Born in Lexington County, South Carolina, Leventis graduated from the University of Virginia in 1969. He then rece ...
(born 1945), American politician
*
Vassilis Leventis
Vasileios "Vasilis" Leventis ( el, Βασίλειος "Βασίλης" Λεβέντης, ; born 2 November 1951) is a Greek politician, leader of the Greek centrist party, Union of Centrists () since 1992 and former Member of Parliament, in offi ...
(born 1951), Greek politician
*
George Levendis
George Levendis (Greek: ''Γιώργος Λεβέντης''), is a Greek-Australian Global Television and record executive and is currently the Executive Producer and Show-Runner of Red Bull's ''The Cut''. Prior to this, he was the COO of Acun M ...
, TV and music industry executive
In
Harlan Ellison
Harlan Jay Ellison (May 27, 1934 – June 28, 2018) was an American writer, known for his prolific and influential work in New Wave speculative fiction and for his outspoken, combative personality. Robert Bloch, the author of '' Psycho'' ...
's short story
The Man Who Rowed Christopher Columbus Ashore
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
, each of the vignettes that comprise the story are preceded by "LEVENDIS":
Sports
The Nigerian football team
Leventis United
Leventis United was a football team based in Ibadan, Nigeria. It was founded in 1982 as an amalgam of clubs from Oyo State, backed by the Royal Nigeria Carpet compana subsidiary of Greek corporation Leventis.
Leventis won the third division in 19 ...
is named after the A. G. Leventis foundation created by Anastasios G. Leventis.
Greek-language surnames
Surnames