Levi Strauss’s birth name was Löb Strauss.
Strauss was born in 1829 in Buttenheim, in the Kingdom of Bavaria. He later emigrated to the United States and adopted the name Levi Strauss. In San Francisco, he joined his brothers in the dry-goods trade and built the business that eventually became associated with riveted denim trousers.
His name is often presented in simplified English-language accounts as though Levi were his original given name. Historical biographies identify him as Löb Strauss before his move to America. The change reflects the immigrant experience of the period, when names were frequently adapted to English-speaking environments.
Strauss did not personally invent denim fabric or the copper-riveting technique. His major role was providing commercial support and business infrastructure for Jacob Davis’s patented trouser design.