How Many People Are Named Lee?
An estimated 168,456 people in the United States have the first name Lee. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #326 overall. It is used for both genders, with 78.9% male. The average bearer is 59 years old, and Lee peaked in popularity in 1956 with 5,446 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Lee as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Lee paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- Lee has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1950s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
168,456
About 1 in 2,035 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Common
Predicted Gender
Male
78.9% confidence
Average Age
59
years old
Peak Year
1956
5,446 births
Total Registered
295,534
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Lee
Lee is a genuinely unisex name, used for both males (78.9%) and females (21.1%). Out of 295,534 total births registered, 233,256 were male and 62,278 were female.
Lee as a male name
Ranked #714 in 2024
370 male births in 2024
Peak: 1951 (3,682 births)
Lee as a female name
Ranked #5,214 in 2024
25 female births in 2024
Peak: 1956 (1,937 births)
Lee: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Lee span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1950s, when 49,687 babies were registered. Lee has declined significantly from its peak in the 1950s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Lee by Decade
How has Lee tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 4,439 | 3,945 | 494 | |
| 1890s | 5,200 | 4,384 | 816 | |
| 1900s | 6,674 | 5,158 | 1,516 | |
| 1910s | 19,263 | 15,380 | 3,883 | |
| 1920s | 28,586 | 23,556 | 5,030 | |
| 1930s | 28,425 | 23,954 | 4,471 | |
| 1940s | 37,781 | 30,978 | 6,803 | |
| 1950s | 49,687 | 35,826 | 13,861 | |
| 1960s | 43,299 | 30,198 | 13,101 | |
| 1970s | 28,138 | 21,549 | 6,589 | |
| 1980s | 23,529 | 19,787 | 3,742 | |
| 1990s | 10,246 | 9,011 | 1,235 | |
| 2000s | 4,531 | 4,161 | 370 | |
| 2010s | 3,805 | 3,556 | 249 | |
| 2020s | 1,931 | 1,813 | 118 | |
Lee by State
Birth registrations for Lee span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Texas, California, New York. The lowest are in Alaska, Delaware, Nevada. On average, about 5,356 Lees were registered per state.
Lee + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Lee as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Lee
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
Lee: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lee?
We estimate approximately 168,456 people named Lee are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 2,035 Americans share this first name.
Is Lee a common name?
Lee is classified as "Common" and is more popular than 99.7% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 295,534 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Lee most popular?
Lee reached peak popularity in 1956, when 5,446 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Lee is approximately 59 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Lee a male name?
Lee is predominantly male. 78.9% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Lee Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Lee Smith, Lee Johnson, Lee Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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