Lee
UnisexLee has been given to 295,926 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 1956 and currently ranks #727 for boys (2025).
Meaning & origin /liː/
From Old English lēa, the dative case of lēah (“meadow”), originally to denote someone who lived near a meadow.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025
Total babies
295,926
Peak year
1956 (5,448 babies)
Rank in 2025
#727 for boys
First recorded
1880
10-year trend
▼ -3%
Gender split
21% girls / 79% boys
Famous people named Lee
Tommy Lee Jones
American actor and film director
Lee Harvey Oswald
American former marine who assassinated John F. Kennedy (1939–1963)
Lee Marvin
American actor (1924–1987)
Lee Van Cleef
American actor (1925–1989)
Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).
Names with a similar vibe
Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Lee.
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