How Many People Are Named Lee?
Complete statistics for the name Lee in the United States — including rarity score, gender breakdown, age distribution, historical popularity, and state data.
Data last updated: 2025 SSA records
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Normalized logarithmic scale (0–100)
male
Population Share
How Many People Have the Name Lee in the US?
Based on Social Security Administration birth records and age-adjusted survival modeling, approximately 295,534 people in the United States currently share the name Lee. That works out to roughly 1 in every 1,117 Americans, placing it in the Uncommon category among all names tracked in US records. For context on where this falls on the full spectrum, see the name rarity checker.
Is Lee a Common or Rare Name?
Lee is classified as Uncommon when scored against the entire US population. Our rarity scale runs from Very Common (top names shared by millions) through Common, Uncommon, Rare, and Very Rare. Understanding where a name sits helps parents gauge uniqueness when choosing a baby name, genealogists narrow down records, and curious individuals settle debates about their own identity.
What Does the Name Lee Mean?
The meaning, language of origin, cultural and religious background for Lee are covered in full on the Lee name meaning & origin page. For a broader look at thousands of names, browse the name meaning directory.
Gender Breakdown: Is Lee Male or Female?
Of all recorded bearers of Lee in SSA data, approximately 79% are male and 21% are female. Lee leans male but is used by both genders. See our guide to gender-neutral names for more on how naming norms evolve.
When Was Lee Most Popular?
The name Lee reached peak popularity in 1951, with 3,682 babies registered that year. Our article on 2025 baby name trends explores these forces in detail.
Where Is Lee Most Common in the US?
The state-by-state breakdown above shows estimated bearer counts for Lee across all 50 states. Highly populous states like California, Texas, and New York naturally show higher counts for almost every name simply due to population size.
How Is This Data Calculated?
All figures on this page are statistical estimates, not exact government headcounts. The underlying data comes from the SSA National Baby Names dataset. Full methodology is explained on the methodology page.
How many people are named Lee?
Approximately 295,534 people in the United States share the name Lee, based on SSA birth records and age-adjusted survival modeling.
Is Lee a rare name?
Lee is classified as Uncommon in the United States. Approximately 1 in every 1,117 Americans has this name.
What does the name Lee mean?
The meaning and origin of Lee is displayed in the Name Meaning and Origin section at the top of this page. Browse the name meaning directory at https://howmanyofme.site/name-meaning/ for more names.
Is Lee more male or female?
Based on SSA records, 79% of people named Lee are male and 21% are female. The predicted gender is Female.
When was Lee most popular?
The name Lee reached its peak in 1951, with 3,682 registrations that year.
Are these statistics exact?
No. All figures are statistical estimates based on SSA birth records and age-adjusted modeling. Exact real-time name counts are not publicly available. See the methodology page at https://howmanyofme.site/methodology/ for full details.