Unisex name · Old English
Lee
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: clearing, meadowLee is a gender-neutral name that comes from Old English and means "clearing, meadow". It is used in English.
- Meaning
- Clearing, meadow
- Origin
- Old English
- Gender
- Unisex
- US rank
- #5832 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Lee
As a gender-neutral name, Lee comes from Old English and means "clearing, meadow". It is used in English.
Lee is also a surname: the 19th most common in the 2020 US Census, held by 695,657 people. See the most common last names.
Its meaning puts Lee on our nature names list.
Meaning checked against Behind the Name. How we research names
Lee on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Lee on 4 lists.
“Old English for meadow or clearing”
From Redneck names for boys, southern gentleman names for boys
“Clearing; Old English. The No. 1 middle name for men born from the 1930s to the 1970s”
From Boy middle names, vintage male middle names
“Plum tree; the usual English spelling of Li”
From Chinese last names, cantonese and Hokkien spellings of Chinese surnames
“Clearing, meadow; Old English, used for anyone”
From Gender neutral names, short gender-neutral names
How popular is Lee?
In 2025, 21 girls and 366 boys in the US were named Lee.
As a girl’s name
- US rank in 2025
- #5,832
- 21 babies, 13 per million girls
- Best rank
- #183 in 1955
- Most babies: 1,937 in 1956
- Babies since 1880
- At least 62,299
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 376 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 367 per million |
| 1900s | 518 per million |
| 1910s | 476 per million |
| 1920s | 421 per million |
| 1930s | 419 per million |
| 1940s | 470 per million |
| 1950s | 721 per million |
| 1960s | 717 per million |
| 1970s | 426 per million |
| 1980s | 218 per million |
| 1990s | 69 per million |
| 2000s | 20 per million |
| 2010s | 14 per million |
| 2020s | 14 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #4,398 | #5,949 | #5,090 | #6,094 | #4,705 | #7,495 | #5,105 | #5,325 | #5,230 | #5,832 |
As a boy’s name
- US rank in 2025
- #727
- 366 babies, 214 per million boys
- Best rank
- #39 in 1900
- Most babies: 3,682 in 1951
- Babies since 1880
- At least 233,627
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 3,601 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 3,842 per million |
| 1900s | 3,799 per million |
| 1910s | 2,304 per million |
| 1920s | 2,138 per million |
| 1930s | 2,267 per million |
| 1940s | 2,081 per million |
| 1950s | 1,772 per million |
| 1960s | 1,568 per million |
| 1970s | 1,305 per million |
| 1980s | 1,072 per million |
| 1990s | 463 per million |
| 2000s | 208 per million |
| 2010s | 189 per million |
| 2020s | 211 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #664 | #681 | #690 | #783 | #769 | #700 | #698 | #705 | #716 | #727 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Names spelled like Lee
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- LeoA lion (Latin, boy)
- LeaGerman form of Leah (Hebrew, girl)
- LeiThunder (depends on characters) (Chinese, boy)
- LevLion, in Russian (Russian, boy)
- LeonA lion (Greek, boy)
- LiaItalian, Portuguese and Greek form of Leah (Hebrew, girl)
- LeviJoined, attached (Hebrew, boy)
- LeahProbably weary, grieved (Hebrew, girl)
- LeiaForm of Leah; Princess Leia in Star Wars (Hebrew, girl)
Names with a similar meaning
- AinsleyFrom a place named for a solitary or hermitage clearing (English, unisex)
- VegaMeadow in Spanish; in English, the bright star (Spanish and Arabic, girl)
- AshleyAsh tree clearing (Old English, unisex)
- BentleyFrom a surname meaning bentgrass clearing (Old English, boy)
- BlakelyDark clearing (Old English, girl)
- BradleyBroad clearing (Old English, boy)
- DallasFrom a surname meaning valley house or meadow dwelling (Old English, unisex)
- EverleighVariant of Everly, from a place name meaning boar clearing (Old English, girl)
- EverlyBoar clearing (Old English, girl)
- HaileyHay clearing (Old English, girl)
Middle names for Lee
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a longer length, so the full name flows.
More names from Old English
- EdgarWealthy spear (Old English, boy)
- EdithRich in war (Old English, girl)
- AlfredElf counsel (Old English, boy)
- EduardRich guardian (Old English, boy)
- StormTempest (Old English, unisex)
- AlfredoElf counsel (Old English, boy)
- AudreyNoble strength (Old English, girl)
- EduardoRich guardian (Old English, boy)
- GrahamFrom a surname from the place name Grantham, probably gravelly homestead (Old English, boy)
- HarperHarp player (Old English, unisex)
Lee: common questions
What does the name Lee mean?
Lee comes from Old English and means "clearing, meadow". Checked against Behind the Name.
Is Lee a boy or girl name?
Lee is used for both boys and girls. In 2025, 21 girls and 366 boys in the US were named Lee, according to Social Security Administration data.
Where does the name Lee come from?
Lee comes from Old English and means "clearing, meadow". Today it is used in English.
How popular is the name Lee?
Lee ranked #5,832 in the US in 2025, with 21 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What names are similar to Lee?
Names spelled like Lee include Leo, Lea, Lei, Lev and Leon.
What middle names go with Lee?
Middle names that flow well with Lee include Asher, Aurelia, Delphine, Emmanuel and Estelle. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.