Lee

#5,722 for girls in 2025, 21 births · #725 for boys in 2025, 366 births
Given to boys 78.9% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1900 · 675 births
Debut · boys
361 births
In top 100 · boys
76 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · boys
233,627
since 1880

Lee over time

girlsboys

Rank within each sex, plotted together. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100#1,000#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201887peak #183, 1955peak #39, 1900girlsboys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#5,72221#725366
2024#5,14825#716370
2023#5,24824#705377
2022#5,02826#698379
2021#7,25015#700378
2020#4,64828#768313
2019#5,98620#783297
2018#5,00726#689352
2017#5,82121#681369
2016#4,34533#664390
2015#5,45824#677375
2014#5,62523#703350
2013#4,75529#668361
2012#5,89522#662357
2011#6,33520#669353
2010#4,60831#676353
2009#4,93129#658374
2008#7,40817#670361
2007#6,09322#635382
2006#4,81129#610391
2005#5,60022#589384
2004#3,44443#557412
2003#3,34743#556403
2002#3,28342#516439
2001#2,66356#464513
2000#2,30667#469502
1999#1,94081#449510
1998#1,78987#403607
1997#1,98372#388615
1996#1,62594#343721
1995#1,522102#330774
1994#1,341125#297917
1993#1,126159#284989
1992#1,131156#2551,128
1991#1,106162#2291,300
1990#955197#2131,450
1989#816232#1881,545
1988#707269#1561,785
1987#744243#1541,811
1986#646286#1451,932
1985#610310#1422,005
1984#533360#1242,164
1983#513373#1381,917
1982#444485#1232,205
1981#414532#1232,215
1980#364652#1252,209
1979#363622#1292,078
1978#413490#1331,980
1977#377561#1332,014
1976#386532#1381,873
1975#360585#1371,858
1974#356608#1242,115
1973#336658#1232,106
1972#332691#1252,260
1971#308873#1282,472
1970#298970#1182,790
1969#2571,134#1182,762
1968#2391,160#1062,868
1967#2481,140#1032,960
1966#2411,211#1062,965
1965#2371,300#1162,772
1964#2481,272#1173,037
1963#2251,479#1193,016
1962#2331,380#1153,263
1961#2221,493#1223,127
1960#2181,531#1163,430
1959#2131,549#1153,509
1958#2001,696#1143,514
1957#1921,834#1053,588
1956#1841,937#1043,511
1955#1831,816#963,607
1954#2161,357#963,566
1953#2551,015#933,583
1952#256948#923,655
1951#259891#923,682
1950#268818#913,611
1949#270818#933,562
1948#264842#933,445
1947#254857#923,676
1946#248807#913,346
1945#257687#872,942
1944#280600#852,929
1943#284597#912,789
1942#282583#872,923
1941#283520#812,742
1940#283492#802,624
1939#286477#782,589
1938#296450#802,575
1937#297438#782,499
1936#292439#762,418
1935#280474#802,426
1934#306422#792,378
1933#310403#792,301
1932#293457#852,284
1931#302446#902,123
1930#308465#822,361
1929#308474#852,209
1928#291513#872,282
1927#302490#862,390
1926#285542#852,313
1925#292531#822,537
1924#303488#832,420
1923#289494#852,359
1922#291496#832,371
1921#303459#862,354
1920#281543#822,321
1919#289484#822,189
1918#281507#862,159
1917#281479#852,004
1916#275475#832,016
1915#279445#841,916
1914#254405#841,451
1913#272294#781,228
1912#253312#781,030
1911#244258#67646
1910#256224#49741
1909#256196#52584
1908#246197#51553
1907#244192#54516
1906#270150#57436
1905#251165#49486
1904#267139#45532
1903#297110#45477
1902#269134#46475
1901#30595#45424
1900#277138#39675
1899#30494#50388
1898#291111#46498
1897#29097#47453
1896#34073#48455
1895#28298#47478
1894#30183#45455
1893#33266#46445
1892#32668#46460
1891#30268#52342
1890#33258#43410
1889#27177#46415
1888#30561#48430
1887#27360#44400
1886#35237#47399
1885#29446#50348
1884#27748#43435
1883#24155#43388
1882#26543#41427
1881#25739#44342
1880#29428#43361
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Lee was already there! It came in at #43, and was given to 361 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 2002–2025, when fewer than 440 boys a year got the name.

See more about Lee
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
  • 9 spots since 2024 (#716#725)
  • 43 spots since 2020 (#768#725)
  • 48 spots since 2015 (#677#725)
  • Biggest jump: 68 spots in 2021 (#768#700)
  • Biggest drop: 94 spots in 2019 (#689#783)
Rise & fade · boys
20 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1900 at #39 (675 births)
  • Births halved by 2019, 119 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 100 for 76 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: 76 yrs · run 1880–1955
  • Top 1,000: 146 yrs · run 1880–2025
Share of babies · boys
1 in 223
  • Highest: 1 in 223 boys born in 1900 were named Lee (0.45%)
  • Latest: 1 in 4,667 boys born in 2025 (0.02%)
Era · boys
The 1950s
  • 15.3% of all boys named Lee (35,826) were born in this decade
Girls or boys?
Never flipped
  • The majority has never changed
all girlsall boys
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s3,945#41 (1882)#45
1890s4,384#43 (1890)#47
1900s5,158#39 (1900)#48
1910s15,380#49 (1910)#78
1920s23,556#82 (1925)#84
1930s23,954#76 (1936)#81
1940s30,978#80 (1940)#88
1950s35,826#91 (1950)#100
1960s30,200#103 (1967)#114
1970s21,546#118 (1970)#129
1980s19,788#123 (1981)#142
1990s9,011#213 (1990)#319
2000s4,161#464 (2001)#572
2010s3,557#662 (2012)#687
2020s2,183#698 (2022)#719

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Lee in 1887

girls
#273
60 births · 1 in 2,433 girls
boys
#44
400 births · 1 in 254 boys

Top girls' names in 1887

  1. #1Mary9,888
  2. #2Anna4,227
  3. #3Elizabeth2,681
  4. #4Emma2,647
  5. #5Margaret2,419
  6. #6Minnie2,215
  7. #7Bertha2,037
  8. #8Clara1,984
  9. #9Florence1,964
  10. #10Ida1,929
  11. #273Lee60

Top boys' names in 1887

  1. #1John8,110
  2. #2William7,470
  3. #3James4,767
  4. #4George4,284
  5. #5Charles4,031
  6. #6Frank2,883
  7. #7Joseph2,456
  8. #8Henry2,228
  9. #9Thomas2,151
  10. #10Edward2,125
  11. #10Robert2,125
  12. #44Lee400
More about 1887

girls

145,981 girls got a published name in 1887; 1 in 2,433 of them was named Lee, which outranked 79.1% of the 1,306 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 21.9% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Lee
  1. #270Elsa61
  2. #270Juanita61
  3. #270Mina61
  4. #273Lee60
  5. #274Bonnie59
  6. #274Lily59
  7. #274Louella59
Biggest movers since 1886
Risers
  1. 571Ossie#1,108#537
  2. 522Albertine#1,108#586
  3. 475Grayce#1,108#633
  4. 447Berenice#1,108#661
  5. 447Elfrieda#1,108#661
Fallers
  1. 591Faith#556#1,147
  2. 541Jo#606#1,147
  3. 541Leanna#606#1,147
  4. 541Manie#606#1,147
  5. 430Drusilla#606#1,036

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

101,410 boys got a published name in 1887; 1 in 254 of them was named Lee, which outranked 95.9% of the 1,067 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 42.0% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Lee
  1. #41Herbert445
  2. #42Howard429
  3. #43Peter421
  4. #44Lee400
  5. #45Herman394
  6. #46Claude375
  7. #47Raymond372
Biggest movers since 1886
Risers
  1. 539Carey#959#420
  2. 521Santiago#959#438
  3. 471Annie#959#488
  4. 471Roderick#959#488
  5. 453Morton#845#392
Fallers
  1. 430Dell#491#921
  2. 420Hardy#332#752
  3. 409Brady#512#921
  4. 381Walton#540#921
  5. 368Milford#451#819

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1887