Lee is a given name derived from the English surname Lee (which is ultimately from a placename derived from Old English ''

leah Leah ''La'ya;'' from (; ) appears in the Hebrew Bible as one of the two wives of the Biblical patriarch Jacob. Leah was Jacob's first wife, and the older sister of his second (and favored) wife Rachel. She is the mother of Jacob's first son ...

'' "clearing; meadow"). According to the Social Security Administration's popular baby name database, its popularity peaked in the United States in 1900 at rank 39 as a masculine name, and in 1955 at rank 182 as a feminine name. The name's popularity declined steadily in the second half of the 20th century, falling below rank 1000 by 1991 as a feminine name, and to 698 as of 2021 as a masculine name. In the later 20th century, it also gained some popularity in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, peaking among the 20 most popular boys' names during the 1970s to 1980s, but it had fallen out of the top 100 by 2001.babynames.co.uk
/ref> Lee is also a

hypocoristic A hypocorism ( or ; from Ancient Greek: (), from (), 'to call by pet names', sometimes also ''hypocoristic'') or pet name is a name used to show affection for a person. It may be a diminutive form of a person's name, such as '' Izzy'' for ...

form of the given names

Ashley Ashley is a place name derived from the Old English words '' æsc'' (“ash”) and '' lēah'' (“meadow”). It may refer to: People and fictional characters * Ashley (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name ...

, Beverly, Kimberley,

Leona Leona is a female given name derived from the Latin word ''leo'' for "lion". People and fictional characters named Leona include: People *Leona (wrestler) (born 1980), Japanese professional wrestler *Leona Aglukkaq, Canadian politician *Leona B ...

, and Leslie (all of which are also derived from English placenames containing ''-leah'' as a second element; with the possible exception of Leslie, which may be an anglicization of a Gaelic placename).

People

A–G

Lee Allen (musician) Lee Francis Allen (July 2, 1927 – October 18, 1994) was an American tenor saxophone player. Phil Alvin, Allen's bandmate in The Blasters, called him one of the most important instrumentalists in rock'n'roll. Allen's distinctive tone has been h ...

(1927–1994), American tenor saxophonist * Lee Andrews (1936–2016), American singer, leader of the doo-wop group Lee Andrews & the Hearts *

Lee Bowyer Lee David Bowyer (; born 3 January 1977) is an English football manager and former professional player. As a player, he was a midfielder who featured for Charlton Athletic, Leeds United, West Ham United (two spells), Newcastle United, Birming ...

, English footballer *

Lee Boyd Malvo Lee Boyd Malvo (born February 18, 1985), also known as John Lee Malvo, is a convicted murderer who, along with John Allen Muhammad, committed a series of murders dubbed the D.C. sniper attacks over a three-week period in October 2002. Malvo was a ...

, Jamaican serial killer, perpetrator of the Beltway sniper attacks * Lee Boylan, English footballer * Lee C. White, advisor to President Kennedy and Johnson *

Lee Camp (footballer) Lee Michael John Camp (born 22 August 1984) is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper most recently for club Wrexham. Internationally, he represented Northern Ireland, being eligible through his Northern Ireland-born grandfather, al ...

, Northern Irish footballer *

Lee Cattermole Lee Barry Cattermole (born 21 March 1988) is an English former professional footballer who played as a central midfielder. An England youth product, Cattermole has earned a reputation as a tough-tackling midfielder due to his lengthy disciplin ...

, English footballer *

Lee Clark (footballer) Lee Robert Clark (born 27 October 1972) is an English football manager and former professional footballer, who was most recently the manager of Al-Merrikh in the Sudan Premier League. As a player, he was a midfielder and played in the Premi ...

, English footballer and manager * Lizzy Clark (born 1994), English actor also known as Lee Clark * Lee Croft, English footballer * Lee DeWyze, American singer and the winner of Season 9 of ''American Idol'' *

Lee Dickson Lee Dickson (born 29 March 1985 in Verden, Germany) is an English professional rugby union player who plays at scrum-half for Bedford Blues in the RFU Championship. Dickson played 49 times for Newcastle Falcons between 2004–2008 an ...

, English rugby player *

Lee Dixon Lee Michael Dixon (born 17 March 1964) is an English retired professional footballer and pundit who played as a right-back for Arsenal. Dixon was also capped 22 times for England. A childhood Manchester City fan, Dixon began his footballing ...

, English footballer *

Lee Dorrian Lee Dorrian (born 5 June 1968) is an English singer, best known as a former member of grindcore band Napalm Death and later frontman of doom metal band Cathedral. Career During his early teenage years, Dorrian was the editor of a local punk f ...

, singer, Napalm Death, Cathedral * Lee Evans, English comedian and actor *

Lee Feldman (businessman) Lee Michael Feldman (born 1967/1968) is an American lawyer and businessman, and the chairman of GVC Holdings, the FTSE 100 Index gambling conglomerate, and the managing partner of the private equity firm, Twin Lakes Capital Management, LLC. Earl ...

(born 1967/68), American lawyer and businessman * Lee Fierro (1929–2020), American actress *

Lee Gaze Lee James Gaze (born 21 May 1975 in Pontypridd, Wales) is a Welsh musician. He is the lead guitarist, and also one of the founding members, of the Welsh/American alternative rock band No Devotion and previously a member of the Welsh rock band ...

, guitarist for Lostprophets *

Lee Germon Lee Kenneth Germon (born 4 November 1968) is a former New Zealand cricketer, wicket-keeper and former captain. He played for the provinces of Canterbury and Otago and is the most successful Canterbury cricket captain of the modern era.Appleby, ...

, New Zealand cricket player * Lee Gibson (born 1991), Scottish footballer *

Lee Grant Lee Grant (born Lyova Haskell Rosenthal; October 31, during the mid-1920s) is an American actress, documentarian, and director. She made her film debut in 1951 as a young shoplifter in William Wyler's ''Detective Story'', co-starring Kirk Dougl ...

(born October 31, mid-1920s), American actress and director * Lee Grant (disambiguation) *

Lee Greenwood Melvin Lee Greenwood (born October 27, 1942) is an American country music singer-songwriter. He also plays the saxophone. Active since 1962, he has released more than 20 major-label albums and has charted more than 35 singles on the ''Billboa ...

, American country music singer known for the song "God Bless the USA" *

Lee Grosscup {{Infobox NFL biography , name = Lee Grosscup , image = Lee Grosscup 1958.jpeg , alt = , caption = Grosscup, circa 1958 , birth_date = {{Birth date, 1936, 12, 27, mf=y , birth_place = Santa Monica, California , death_date = {{Death date an ...

(1936–2020), American football player and sportscaster * Elbert Lee Guillory, Louisiana African-American Republican

H–M

* Lee Hall (artist) (1934–2017), American abstract expressionist painter, educator, writer, university president * Lee Harding, Australian singer *

Lee Harvey Oswald Lee Harvey Oswald (October 18, 1939 – November 24, 1963) was a U.S. Marine veteran who assassinated John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, on November 22, 1963. Oswald was placed in juvenile detention at the age of 12 fo ...

, assassin of John F. Kennedy * Lee Hendrie, English footballer *

Lee Hughes Lee Hughes (born 22 May 1976) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Stourport Swifts. A strong striker with excellent finishing abilities, Hughes represented the England semi-professional team once in 1996. ...

, English footballer * Lee Iacocca, chairman of Chrysler Corporation * Lee J. Ames (1921–2011), American artist *

Lee J. Cobb Lee J. Cobb (born Leo Jacoby; December 8, 1911February 11, 1976) was an American actor, known both for film roles and his work on the Broadway stage. He often played arrogant, intimidating and abrasive characters, but he also acted as respectabl ...

, American actor *

Lee James Lee Roy James (born October 31, 1953, in Gulfport, Mississippi) was an Olympic weightlifter for the United States. Weightlifting achievements *Silver Medalist in Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux o ...

, American Olimpic weightlifter *

Lee Johnson (footballer) Lee David Johnson (born 7 June 1981) is an English professional football manager and former player, who is the manager of Hibernian. Prior to becoming a manager, he played for Brighton & Hove Albion, Yeovil Town, Heart of Midlothian, Brist ...

, English footballer *

Lee Kerslake Lee Gary Kerslake (16 April 1947– 19 September 2020) was an English musician, best known as the longtime drummer and backing vocalist for the rock band Uriah Heep and for his work with Ozzy Osbourne in the early 1980s. Biography Early life a ...

(1947–2020), English musician *

Lee Kiefer Lee Kiefer (born June 15, 1994) is an American right-handed foil fencer. Kiefer is a four-time NCAA champion, ten-time team Pan American champion, nine-time individual Pan American champion, and 2018 team world champion. A three-time Olympia ...

, American Fencer, 2021 Olympic Gold Medalist * Lee Konitz, American jazz alto saxophonist * Lee Korzits, Israeli world champion windsurfer *

Lee Krasner Lenore "Lee" Krasner (born Lena Krassner; October 27, 1908 – June 19, 1984) was an American abstract expressionist painter, with a strong speciality in collage. She was married to Jackson Pollock. Although there was much cross-pollination be ...

(1908–1984), American abstract expressionist painter *

Lee Lorenz Lee Sharp Lorenz (October 17, 1932 – December 8, 2022) was an American cartoonist most notable for his work in ''The New Yorker''. Early life and education Lorenz was born on October 17, 1932 in Hackensack, New Jersey. After studying at Nor ...

(1932-2022), American cartoonist *

Lee Mack Lee Gordon McKillop (born 4 August 1968), known by his stage name Lee Mack, is an English comedian, actor, podcaster and presenter. He is known for his quick wit, writing and starring in the sitcom '' Not Going Out'', being a team captain on th ...

, English comedian and actor *

Lee Majors Lee Majors (born Harvey Lee Yeary; April 23, 1939) is an American actor. Majors portrayed the characters of Heath Barkley in the American television Western series ''The Big Valley'' (1965–1969), Colonel Steve Austin in the American televisio ...

, American actor * Lee Marshall, American announcer * Lee Martin (disambiguation) *

Lee Marvin Lee Marvin (born Lamont Waltman Marvin Jr.; February 19, 1924August 29, 1987) was an American film and television actor. Known for his bass voice and premature white hair, he is best remembered for playing hardboiled "tough guy" characters. Alt ...

, American actor *

Lee Matthews (footballer) Lee Joseph Matthews (born 16 January 1979) is an English former Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), striker. He began his career with Leeds United F.C., Leeds United in 1997, after winning the FA Yo ...

(born 1979), English football striker *

Lee Matthews (singer) Lee Mulhern (born 12 June 1988), now known as Lee Matthews, is an Irish singer-songwriter. Starting age 8, Lee Mulhern (his birth name) had performed as a child star prodigy covering pop and country songs on many Irish and UK radio and televisi ...

(born 1988), Irish pop singer formerly known as Lee Mulhern, also known as Lee.M *

Lee Mavers Lee Anthony Mavers (born 2 August 1962) is an English musician. Mavers was the songwriter, singer and rhythm guitarist in The La's and is best known for the song "There She Goes (The La's song), There She Goes" from October 1988. Mavers was orig ...

, English musician * Lee McConnell, Scottish track and field athlete * Lee McCulloch, Scottish footballer *

Lee McKenzie Lee McKenzie (born 1 December 1977) is a journalist and presenter who is a reporter and deputy presenter for Channel 4's F1 coverage and also the main presenter of the W Series and Channel 4 Rugby. McKenzie also works on a variety of sports ...

, Scottish journalist and presenter *

Lee Meriwether Lee Ann Meriwether (born May 27, 1935) is an American actress, former model, and the winner of the Miss America 1955 pageant. She has appeared in many films and television shows, notably as Betty Jones, the title character's secretary and daught ...

, American actress *

Lee Miller Elizabeth "Lee" Miller, Lady Penrose (April 23, 1907 – July 21, 1977), was an American photographer and photojournalist. She was a fashion model in New York City in the 1920s before going to Paris, where she became a fashion and fine art ...

(1907–1977), American fashion model, photographer, war photojournalist *

Lee Minto Lee Minto (born 1927) is an American women's health activist and sex education advocate. She served as Executive Director of the Seattle-King County chapter of Planned Parenthood for 27 years, and was instrumental in Washington State Referendu ...

(born 1927), American women's health advocate and sex education activist *

Lee Morgan Edward Lee Morgan (July 10, 1938 – February 19, 1972) was an American jazz trumpeter and composer. One of the key hard bop musicians of the 1960s, Morgan came to prominence in his late teens, recording on John Coltrane's '' Blue Train'' (1 ...

, an American hard bop trumpeter *

Lee Mossop Lee Mossop (born 17 January 1989) is an English retired professional rugby league footballer who played as a forward for the Salford Red Devils in the Betfred Super League and the England Knights and England at international level. He previou ...

, English rugby player

N–Z

Lee Nailon Lee Nailon (born February 22, 1975) is an American professional basketball player who played six seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was the 2007 Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP. In 2011, he was the top scorer in the Is ...

, American NBA basketball player and 2007 Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP * Lee Naylor (footballer), English footballer *

Lee Pace Lee Grinner Pace (born March 25, 1979) is an American actor. He is known for starring as Thranduil the Elvenking in ''The Hobbit'' trilogy and as Joe MacMillan in the AMC period drama television series '' Halt and Catch Fire''. He has also a ...

, American actor *

Lee Peltier Lee Anthony Peltier (born 11 December 1986) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for Championship club Rotherham United. While he has played in positions in both defence and midfield, he primarily plays as a right-bac ...

, English footballer *

Lee "Scratch" Perry Lee "Scratch" Perry (born Rainford Hugh Perry; 20 March 1936 – 29 August 2021) was a Jamaican record producer, composer and singer noted for his innovative studio techniques and production style. Perry was a pioneer in the 1970s development o ...

, Jamaican musician *

Lee Probert Lee William Probert (born 13 August 1972)
(

, English football referee * Lee Quiñones (born 1960 as George Quiñones), American graffiti artist *

Lee Ranaldo Lee Mark Ranaldo (born February 3, 1956) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, guitarist, writer, visual artist and record producer, best known as a co-founder of the alternative rock band Sonic Youth (guitar and vocals). In 2004, ''Rolling ...

, guitarist (and occasional vocalist) for Sonic Youth *

Lee Remick Lee Ann Remick (December 14, 1935 – July 2, 1991) was an American actress and singer. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for the film '' Days of Wine and Roses'' (1962), and for the 1966 Tony Award for Best Actress in ...

, American actress * Lee Rigby, British soldier murdered by Islamists in Woolwich, London *

Lee Ryan Lee Ryan (born 17 June 1983) is an English singer, songwriter and actor, best known as a member of the boy band Blue. Ryan took part in the BBC series ''Strictly Come Dancing''. He was partnered with professional dancer Nadiya Bychkova and was ...

, English singer * Lee Sandales, set decorator *

Lee Sharpe Lee Stuart Sharpe (born 27 May 1971) is an English professional golfer, former professional footballer, sports television pundit and reality television personality. As a player was predominantly a left winger from 1988 to 2004, he notably play ...

, English footballer * Lee Smith (disambiguation) * Lee Stensness, New Zealand rugby player *

Lee Stevens DeWain Lee Stevens (born July 10, 1967) is a former first baseman and designated hitter drafted by the California Angels in 1986. A highly regarded prospect, Stevens batted .314 with 19 home runs for the Triple A Edmonton Trappers in 1991. The ...

, American baseball player *

Lee Strobel Lee may refer to: Name Given name * Lee (given name), a given name in English Surname * Chinese surnames romanized as Li or Lee: ** Li (surname 李) or Lee (Hanzi ), a common Chinese surname ** Li (surname 利) or Lee (Hanzi ), a Chinese s ...

, Christian apologist *

Lee Tamahori Warren Lee Tamahori (; born 17 June 1950) is a New Zealand filmmaker best known for directing the 1994 film '' Once Were Warriors'', the 2001 film '' Along Came a Spider'', and 2002's James Bond film '' Die Another Day''. Upbringing and early care ...

, New Zealand director *

Lee Tergesen Lee Allen Tergesen (; born July 8, 1965) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in '' Weird Science'', as Tobias Beecher in HBO's prison drama '' Oz'', and as Evan Wright in '' Generation Kill,'' as well as guest starring in many othe ...

, American actor * Lee Trevino, American golfer * Chrystelle Lee Trump Bond (1938–2020), American dancer, choreographer, and dance historian *

Lee Trundle Lee Christopher Trundle (born 10 October 1976) is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Cymru South side Ammanford. He also works as the club ambassador and youth team coach for Championship side Swansea City. Trundle's career bega ...

, English footballer *

Lee Unkrich Lee Edward Unkrich (born August 8, 1967) is an American film director, film editor, screenwriter, and animator. He was a longtime member of the creative team at Pixar, where he started in 1994 as a film editor. He later began directing, first as ...

, American director, editor, screenwriter and animator *

Lee Van Cleef Clarence LeRoy Van Cleef Jr. (January 9, 1925 – December 16, 1989) was an American actor. He appeared in over 170 film and television roles in a career spanning nearly 40 years, but is best known as a star of Italian Spaghetti Westerns, parti ...

, American actor *

Lee Ving Lee James Jude Capallero (born April 10, 1950), also known as Lee Ving, is an American guitarist, singer and actor. Ving is the frontman of the Los Angeles-based hardcore punk band Fear. As an actor, Ving played topless club owner Johnny C. ...

, guitarist and singer of the American hardcore punk band Fear * Lee Wai Leng (born 1969), Malaysian badminton player * Lee Westwood, English golfer *

Lee Wiley Lee Wiley (October 9, 1908 – December 11, 1975) was an American jazz singer during the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. Biography Wiley was born in Fort Gibson, Oklahoma. At fifteen, she left home to pursue a singing career, singing on New York ...

, American jazz singer from the big band era * Lee Williamson, Jamaican footballer * Lee Williamson (American football), American football player *

Lee Zeldin Lee Michael Zeldin (born January 30, 1980) is an American attorney, politician, and officer in the United States Army Reserve. A Republican, he has represented New York's 1st congressional district in the United States House of Representatives ...

(born 1980), Republican United States Congressman, former New York state senator

People called Leee

Some people spell their name with three Es instead of two: * Leee Black Childers (born Lee Black Childers; 1945–2014), American avant-garde photographer and music manager *

Leee John Leslie McGregor "Leee" John (born 23 June 1957) is a British musician, singer, and actor of St Lucian descent. He was born in Hackney, London, and educated in New York City, later studying drama at the Anna Scher Theatre School. He is perhaps ...

(born John Leslie McGregor; 1957), British pop musician

Fictional characters

* Lee, a character in 1993 action/martial arts movie ''

Showdown A showdown is a duel. The term may also refer to: Places * Showdown Ski Area, in Montana, United States Books * ''Showdown'' (Amado novel), a 1984 novel by Jorge Amado * ''Showdown'' (Dekker novel), a 2006 novel by Ted Dekker * ''Showdown'' ( ...

'' * Lee, a character in the 1997 American comedy movie '' Fathers' Day'' * Lee, played by Lee Mack in his sitcom ''Not Going Out'' * Lee, a character played by actor JR Reed in association with the comedy rock band Tenacious D *

Lee Adama Leland Joseph "Lee" Adama (callsign "Apollo") is a fictional character in the television series ''Battlestar Galactica''. He is portrayed by actor Jamie Bamber, and is one of the main characters in the series. His first appearance was in ''Batt ...

, fictional character in the television series ''Battlestar Galactica'' * Lee Brackett, a character in John Carpenter's horror film '' Halloween'' (1978) and Rob Zombie's remake of the film * L For Leeeeee x, a bear played by Scottish YouTuber Lee Carson on stampylonghead's channel until 2015 *

Lee Chaolan Lee Chaolan ( Chinese: 李超狼; pinyin: ''Lǐ Chāoláng''; Japanese: リー・チャオラン; Hepburn: ''Rī Chaoran'') is a player character from the '' Tekken'' fighting game franchise by Bandai Namco Entertainment. He is an orphan ad ...

, character in the ''Tekken'' series *

Lee Everett Lee Everett is one of the protagonists of Telltale's '' The Walking Dead'' video game series, debuting as the playable main protagonist of the first season. Tasked with protecting a girl named Clementine in the midst of a zombie apocalypse, Le ...

, the protagonist in the 2012 video game ''The Walking Dead'' * Lee Harris, a character played by Adina Porter in the television series '' American Horror Story: Roanoke'' * Lee Jordan (Harry Potter), a character in the ''Harry Potter'' series * Lee Kanker, oldest of the Kanker sisters on

Ed, Edd n Eddy '' Ed, Edd n Eddy'' is a Canadian animated comedy television series created by Danny Antonucci for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television. The series revolves around three friends named Ed, Edd (called "Double D" ...

* Lee McDermott, played by Kevin Rahm in ''Desperate Housewives'' * Lee Montgomery, portrayed by Mary Elizabeth Winstead in Quentin Tarantino's ''

Death Proof ''Death Proof'' is a 2007 American action-thriller film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It stars Kurt Russell as a stuntman who murders young women with modified cars he purports to be "death-proof". Rosario Dawson, Vanessa Ferlito ...

'' (2007) * Lee Ping, the Korean-Canadian protagonist of the television series ''

Detentionaire ''Detentionaire'' is a Canadian mystery thriller animated series produced by Nelvana and aired on Teletoon from September 12, 2011, to January 29, 2015, for total of 53 episodes, spanning 4 seasons. It was created by Daniel Bryan Franklin and Ch ...

'' *

Lee Scoresby This is a list of characters from the two Philip Pullman trilogies, ''His Dark Materials'' and ''The Book of Dust''. Introduced in ''Northern Lights'' Lyra Belacqua Lyra Belacqua, later known as Lyra Silvertongue, is the central character of ...

, fictional character in Philip Pullman's ''His Dark Materials'' trilogy * Lee Sin, the Blind Monk, a playable champion character in the action real-time strategy video game ''

League of Legends ''League of Legends'' (''LoL''), commonly referred to as ''League'', is a 2009 multiplayer online battle arena video game developed and published by Riot Games. Inspired by '' Defense of the Ancients'', a custom map for ''Warcraft III'', ...

People

A–G

H–M

N–Z

People called Leee

Fictional characters

References

See also