Lee is a distinctive choice, ranked #1093 in 2025. Your child is likely to be the only Lee in their class.
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UK Rank 2025
#1093
US Rank #727
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About the Name Lee
Lee has seen a notable decline in recent years, dropping 454 places in five years. It was most popular in 2003 at #130 — parents choosing it today are making a deliberately counter-trend decision. The name has been a consistent presence in UK records since 1996.
Lee is uncommon in the UK, so your child is very likely to be the only Lee in their class.
In the US it ranks even higher at #714, where it enjoys a particularly strong following.
⭐ Famous People Named Lee
Albert Lee — Albert William Lee is an English guitarist known for his fingerstyle and hybrid picking technique.
Hoon Lee — Tong Hoon Lee is an American actor, known for playing Job in the Cinemax original series Banshee and the King in the Broadway revival of The King and I, and voicing Hamato Yoshi/Splinter in the 2012 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series, Shredder in Rise of the…
Mason Lee — Mason Lee is a Taiwanese-American actor.
Biographical summaries are shortened from Wikipedia and are used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence; those summaries remain available under that same licence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Lee
Unlikely. With around 27 UK babies named Lee per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Lee in their class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Lee is declining: down 312 places since 2020, to #1,093 in 2025. It peaked at #64 in 1996.
Lee is more popular in the US (#714) than in the UK (#1235). Names with strong rankings in both countries tend to have broad cross-cultural appeal, working well for international families or those with ties to both nations.
Notable people named Lee include: Albert Lee, Hoon Lee and Mason Lee. Short summaries for each appear below.
Lee ranks #714 in the US top 1,000 (2024). It's recognised in America but considerably more popular in the UK.
27
UK babies named Lee (2025)
< 1
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
~0.0
In a school of 600
↓ 312 places
Rank change (last 5 years)
🏫 Who else is in the room?
In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Lee
Almost certainly the only Lee in the class
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UK Popularity (1996–2025)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
US Popularity (2020–2025)
Rank · SSA official data
✨ Similar names to Lee
Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story
Tong Hoon Lee is an American actor, known for playing Job in the Cinemax original series Banshee and the King in the Broadway revival of The King and I, and voicing Hamato Yoshi/Splinter in the 2012 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series, Shredder in Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the White Rabbit in Devil May Cry.
Princess Caroline Lee Radziwill, previously known as Lee Canfield and Lee Ross, was an American socialite, public relations executive, and interior designer.