Don’t you just *love* it when everything falls into place?  Another suggested Levi for Name of the Day a few weeks ago – and on Monday, Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves welcomed their son, Levi Alves McConaughey.

Thanks to Another for the inspiration – and to the Alves McConaughey family for doing such a lovely job with their son’s name.

It’s a little bit Biblical, a little bit blue jean.

Levi was Jacob and Leah’s third son, the Old Testament patriarch who gave his name to the Levites, one of the twelve tribes of Israel.  This makes it an ancient name, indeed, and one that has spawned surnames.  Levy is the obvious one, but Loewe, Levin, Levine and Levicki also stem from the given name.

We’ve even heard of a Levi Levy.  Really.

Levi has been around, but was rarely used as a given name in Europe until the Protestant Reformation.  Religious reform encouraged a shift away from saints’ names, in favor of equally religious but less Catholic choices.  There is no Saint Levi – though the apostle Matthew was sometimes referred to by this name.

He’s been in steady use ever since.  In 1880, Levi was the 118th most popular name in the US for baby boys.  He fell over time and in the 1960s, was far out of favor as Scott, Gary, Todd and Craig moved into the Top 50, along with traditional favorites like Michael and John.

More recently, Levi has been part of the Biblical revival, along with Noah and Elijah, Jacob and Joshua, Isaac and Isaiah.  He’s been back in the Top 200 since 1987.  By 2003, he ranked #170.  And last year, he came in at #132 – that’s more than 3000 new Levis born in 2007 alone.

Betcha the new starbaby, combined with our affection for vowel endings for boys’ names and continuing love of Biblical monikers propels Levi right into the Top 100 next year.

Part of the name’s appeal is a certain rugged, quintessentially American flavor, thanks to Levi Strauss.  We know that fortunes were made in the California Gold Rush – more often from merchants meeting the needs of the miners than from miners striking the mother lode.  Strauss set up a wholesale business in San Francisco back in 1853.  Twenty years later, he and a business partner combined Strauss’ durable cloth with a copper rivet to keep pants in one piece.  The rest is history.

Not only is Levi a Biblical choice, it’s far cooler than naming your son Denim.

The list of notable Levis is long and varied, but here are a few:

• Levi Stubbs, one of the Four Tops; 
• Abolitionist and underground railroad coordinator Levi Coffin; 
• Israeli prime minister Levi Eshkol; 
• US Vice President under Benjamin Harrison, Levi Morton.

Head north in Finland and you’ll find a ski resort called Levi.  Eugenio Levi, an Italian mathematician, gave his name to the Levi decomposition.  (It’s something to do with algebra and vectors.  We must’ve been sick that day.)

Levi is short, rugged, traditional and still sounds fresh.  Everyone seems to love this choice, and that’s the only problem.  Expect to meet a lot of little Levis in the coming years.