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#10,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201923peak #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 1923

girls
#289
494 births · 1 in 2,442 girls
boys
#85
2,359 births · 1 in 465 boys

Top girls' names in 1923

  1. #1Mary71,634
  2. #2Dorothy39,043
  3. #3Helen31,486
  4. #4Margaret26,134
  5. #5Betty25,989
  6. #6Ruth23,637
  7. #7Virginia18,325
  8. #8Mildred15,989
  9. #9Elizabeth15,459
  10. #10Frances14,881
  11. #289Lee494

Top boys' names in 1923

  1. #1John57,467
  2. #2Robert56,111
  3. #3William52,136
  4. #4James50,462
  5. #5Charles28,966
  6. #6George27,025
  7. #7Joseph25,561
  8. #8Edward20,597
  9. #9Richard18,887
  10. #10Donald16,433
  11. #85Lee2,359
More about 1923

girls

1,206,366 girls got a published name in 1923; 1 in 2,442 of them was named Lee, which outranked 95.0% of the 5,739 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 23.4% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Lee
  1. #286Bernadine516
  2. #287Margery515
  3. #288Flossie505
  4. #289Lee494
  5. #289Elma494
  6. #291Darlene493
  7. #292Marcia492
  8. #293Mollie491

Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1922
Risers
  1. 1,834Eris#2,291#457
  2. 619Penny#1,508#889
  3. 317Laurene#1,309#992
  4. 310Cruz#1,103#793
  5. 306Dorene#1,207#901
Fallers
  1. 321Veva#962#1,283
  2. 318Arlie#949#1,267
  3. 305Gaynell#978#1,283
  4. 303Trinidad#449#752
  5. 300Laurine#897#1,197

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

boys

1,096,102 boys got a published name in 1923; 1 in 465 of them was named Lee, which outranked 98.3% of the 4,904 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 32.3% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Lee
  1. #82Calvin2,408
  2. #83Jesse2,387
  3. #84Glenn2,370
  4. #85Lee2,359
  5. #86Benjamin2,316
  6. #87Cecil2,255
  7. #88Victor2,226
Biggest movers since 1922
Risers
  1. 403Marcos#1,333#930
  2. 341Armin#1,333#992
  3. 309Betty#1,222#913
  4. 309Godfrey#1,222#913
  5. 308Val#1,181#873
Fallers
  1. 1,021Harden#999#2,020
  2. 472Buel#850#1,322
  3. 420Trinidad#485#905
  4. 304Gorden#722#1,026
  5. 288Joy#840#1,128

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

See the top 100 for 1923