Lee

Did you know?

A few things about Lee you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Lee

Lee de Forest

American inventor (1873–1961)

Choose Lee and your child shares a first name with Lee de Forest, an American inventor. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Lee, like who?” Lee de Forest's Wikipedia article is available in 55 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Lee de Forest on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Credit Line: The National Cyclopedia of American Biography, courtesy AIP Emilio Segrè Visual Archives, T. J. J. See Coll, CC0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 4,666 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Lee, 366 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Lee would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryLee has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Lees, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1900, when it ranked #39. Today it's #725, so it could be due a comeback.
• 🚀TrendLee has climbed 43 places in the US rankings over the last five years and now sits at #725. Fast risers like this often keep climbing, so expect to hear it more.
• 📍Where it's lovedLee is most popular in Iowa, where it ranks #276, followed by Pennsylvania (#397) and Nebraska (#432). It's in the top 1,000 in 26 states.
• 💬MeaningIn English, Lee means “meadow, clearing”. Our records link it to Chinese, English and Hebrew roots.
• 🌍OriginLee is the #3 most popular Chinese boy name in the US. That's out of 57 Chinese boy and unisex names in our list.

About the name Lee

Lee is a boy name of Chinese, English and Hebrew origin meaning “meadow, clearing”. It has 3 letters and 1 syllable, starting with L and ending in “-lee”. US birth records list Lee for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1900, when it ranked #39 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #725, with 366 babies.

Origin:Chinese namesEnglish namesHebrew namesIrish names