Lee is a common

surname In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...

in English-speaking countries. In

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, "Lee" was the 4th-most-common surname outside of

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

. In the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

during the 2000 census, "Lee" was the 22nd-most-common surname.

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

.
Genealogy Data: Frequently Occurring Surnames from Census 2000
". 27 Sept 2011. Accessed 29 Mar 2012.

Origins

England

There are several distinct origins of the Lee surname. The most common is derived from

Old English Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...

''lēah'', meaning a

meadow A meadow ( ) is an open habitat or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non- woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as they maintain an open character. Meadows can occur naturally under favourable con ...

or forest clearing. This developed variously into the surnames Lee, Lea, and

Leigh Leigh may refer to: Places In England Pronounced : * Leigh, Greater Manchester, Borough of Wigan ** Leigh (UK Parliament constituency) * Leigh-on-Sea, Essex Pronounced : * Leigh, Dorset * Leigh, Gloucestershire * Leigh, Kent * Leigh, Staffor ...

Ireland

The name in Ireland has several diverse origins, resulting in widely dispersed clusters of the name in South Western, Western (Galway) and North Eastern Counties.Michael C. O'Laughlin The Book of Irish Families: Great & Small – 2002 reprinted from Michael C. O'Laughlin Families of County Galway, Ireland – 1998 – Page 125 " Lea, Maclee, Macalea, Melee, O'lee, Families of the surname of "Lee" in Ireland may stem from any one of several origins. Lee is an old Irish family name stemming from the families of O'Lee and MacLee. Lee is also a name of English origins ..." One recognized root was the anglicization of the Irish surname "Ó Laoidigh" which resulted in several variants, such as Lee, Lea, and Maclee.Irish Genealogical Foundation: Book of Irish Families
. 1997. Accessed 4 June 2013. Other Lees have English roots and still others may have derived from the Norman "Du Lea". The 1901 Irish census1901 Census of Ireland: Surname Lee in All Counties
. 27 Sept 1901. Accessed 29 May 2013. list 4912 entries primarily in Galway, Dublin, Cork, Antrim, Limerick and Down counties.

Norway

Originating from Norway as "Lie", this surname was altered when it arrived in the Americas in the late 1800s to fit the English language's pronunciation.

People with the surname

* List of people with the surname Lee

Fictional characters

* Gregg Lee, a fictional character in the video game '' Night in the Woods'' * Meilin Lee, the protagonist of the 2022 Pixar film ''Turning Red'' * Agent Marcia Lee, a character from the

DC Animated Universe The DC Animated Universe (DCAU, also referred to as the Timmverse or Diniverse by fans) is a Shared universe, shared fictional universe based on DC Comics properties and media franchise produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It began with ''Batman ...

* Rock Lee, one of the characters from the ''

Naruto ''Naruto'' is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. It tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, a young ninja who seeks recognition from his peers and dreams of becoming the Hokage, the leader of his village. T ...

'' anime and manga series ** Metal Lee, his son from the '' Boruto'' anime and manga * The Lee Brothers, the main characters from '' Double Dragon'' * Zoe Lee, a character from '' Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir''

Places

Several places in the US have been named for the various famous people named Lee:

United States

* Lee, Massachusetts * Lee, New Hampshire *

Lee's Summit, Missouri Lee's Summit is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri and a suburb of the Kansas City metropolitan area. It resides in Jackson County (predominantly) as well as Cass County. As of the 2020 census, its population was 101,108, making it the 6th ...

* various Fort Lees * various Leesburgs * various Leesvilles *

Washington and Lee University Washington and Lee University (Washington and Lee or W&L) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Lexington, Virginia, United States. Established in 1749 as Augusta Academy, it is among ...

* Lee Township, Michigan * Lee Township, Minnesota *

Lee County, Florida Lee County is located in southwestern Florida, United States, on the Gulf Coast. As of the 2020 census, its population was 760,822. In 2022, the population was 822,453, making it the eighth-most populous county in the state. The county seat ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee (English Surname) English-language surnames Surnames of English origin Surnames of Irish origin