Lee
English surname and place name from Old English leah, a woodland clearing or meadow, used as a first name for girls and boys alike.
Lee in 2025
Lee was given to 387 babies in the United States in 2025 — 366 boys and 21 girls, making it the 1,408th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 8,567 babies born.
The history of Lee
Lee reached its highest point in 1956, when 5,448 babies were given the name, ranking 161st that year. Its best-ever ranking was 99th, in 1882.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 295,926 babies have been named Lee. Half of them were born before 1953, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Baby Boomers.
Lee by decade
| Decade | Babies named Lee | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 4,439 | 99 |
| 1890s | 5,200 | 127 |
| 1900s | 6,674 | 119 |
| 1910s | 19,263 | 130 |
| 1920s | 28,586 | 157 |
| 1930s | 28,425 | 149 |
| 1940s | 37,781 | 143 |
| 1950s | 49,687 | 157 |
| 1960s | 43,300 | 156 |
| 1970s | 28,136 | 191 |
| 1980s | 23,530 | 215 |
| 1990s | 10,246 | 368 |
| 2000s | 4,531 | 904 |
| 2010s | 3,806 | 1,310 |
| 2020s | 2,322 | 1,379 |
Where Lee is heading
Lee has held roughly steady over the past decade, from 399 babies in 2015 to 387 in 2025.
Names like Lee
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Lee.