Unisex name · since 1880
Lee
Lee has 233,627 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1951 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #167 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #725 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 233,627
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
Lee currently ranks #725 among unisex names in America, with 233,627 babies recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Lee recorded 233,627 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #725 nationally today, ahead of 95% of boys, peaking in the 1950s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #167 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #725 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 233,627 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Lee ranks #167 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #725 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 233,627 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #167 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #725 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 233,627
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
Lee's 233,627 recorded births place it above 99.63% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Lee compares
233,627 Top 2% higher than 98% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Lee's all-time total is 633x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Lee | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 233,627 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 3,682 | 34 | 22,252 |
Lee's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Lee's full recorded timeline at 1953, 49% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 51% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 2019, with just 297 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1951 peak of 3,682 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Lee popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1951)
- 3,682
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Lee popularity over time - girls
62,299 total births recorded since 1880 (Lee as girls' name)
Lee by decade
1950s is the heaviest window (35,826 births, 15% of the file).
1950s was Lee's strongest decade.
35,826 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 15% of all-time use.
Lee births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 3,945
1880s
3,945 births
- 1890s 4,384
1890s
4,384 births
- 1900s 5,158
1900s
5,158 births
- 1910s
1910s
15,380 births
- 1920s
1920s
23,556 births
- 1930s
1930s
23,954 births
- 1940s
1940s
30,978 births
- 1950s
1950s
35,826 births
- 1960s
1960s
30,200 births
- 1970s
1970s
21,546 births
- 1980s
1980s
19,788 births
- 1990s 9,011
1990s
9,011 births
- 2000s 4,161
2000s
4,161 births
- 2010s 3,557
2010s
3,557 births
- 2020s 2,183
2020s
2,183 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 35,826 births (15% of all-time use).
How Lee compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Lee's total volume
Lee by state
Where Lee concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 16,998 | 7.3% |
| #2 | California | | 13,287 | 5.7% |
| #3 | Pennsylvania | | 11,384 | 4.9% |
| #4 | New York | | 11,305 | 4.8% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 9,839 | 4.2% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 8,970 | 3.8% |
| #7 | Mississippi | | 8,747 | 3.7% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 8,246 | 3.5% |
16,998 of 233,627 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Lee appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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When was Lee most popular? ▼
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What to do with Lee's data
- Lee's decade-level peak was the 1950s (35,826 total births); usage has since declined to 2,183 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Lees (16,998 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Lee
Nearby Names Like Lee
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Lee
Compare Lee side by side: Lee vs Leeroy Lee vs Leeland Lee vs Leevi
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Lee
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Lee: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1951)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Lee draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.