Lee

Meaning: One who lived near a meadow
Origin: English surname

Boy's name · #727 in the US (2025) · Timeless

Popularity over time

Lee holds its lane: charted since 1880 and rarely far from where it stands today (#727 in 2025). About 234,000 boys have carried it along the way. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records.

Across the states

See where Lee is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 32 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Lee ranks in other countries and regions.

#348 in Ireland (2025) · #762 in Scotland (2025) · #1,083 in Canada (2025) · #1,093 in England & Wales (2025) · #1,350 in Belgium (2025) · #1,544 in Ecuador (2025) · #2,144 in Sweden (2025) · #5,051 in France (2025) · #2,675 in Austria (2023) · #1,023 in Netherlands (2021) · #319 in N. Ireland (2018) · #869 in Poland (2015) and 4 more.

Famous Lees

Lee Marvin — American actor (1924–1987)
Lee Van Cleef — American actor (1925–1989)
Lee Teng-hui — President of the Republic of China from 1988 to 2000 (1923–2020)
Lee de Forest — American inventor (1873–1961)
Lee Pace — American actor (born 1979)
Lee Majors — American actor (born 1939)
Lee Strasberg — American acting coach and actor (1901–1982)
Lee Child — British thriller writer (born 1954)
Lee Iacocca — American businessman (1924–2019)

In stories & tradition

Lee Jordan — Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
Lee Adama — Character in Battlestar Galactica
Lee Everett — Fictional character in The Walking Dead video game series

What Lees become

Among 4,421 notable people named Lee:

Sports figures appear 2.1× more often than among typical names — e.g. Lee Cattermole, English footballer (born 1988).

Similar names: Eddie · Lyle · Harley · Ray · Willie · Harry

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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