Lee

maleStatistical record

What official birth registration shows about Lee: which national registrars published it, in which years, and how its recorded position changed.

No researched meaning, origin or pronunciation yet — what that means.

Lee: Recorded since 1956, it reached #42 in 1997, and it stood at #348 in 2025.

6registrars recorded it
183times a registrar ranked it
70years from first to last
#42highest recorded position
37groupings it qualifies for

What stands out in Lee's record

Held a top-100 place for 38 years running. Names by top-100 run
England and Wales registered 1,053 births with the name in 1996, its largest count from any one registrar. Names by yearly birth count
3 registrars publish it in more than one category list — an observation about those lists, not about the name. Names published across category lists

Region

Falling

among girls in England and Wales · 1996–2011

View as table

England and Wales · Girls rank by year
Year	Rank
1996	#2350
1997	#3174
1998	#1823
1999	#3225
2000	#3912
2001	#1520
2002	#3409
2005	#2970
2009	#5556
2011	#5785

VerifiedSource: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales.Confidence: high.

See all England and Wales names · Source: Office for National Statistics — Baby Names in England and Wales

What the data shows

FallingEngland and Wales · Girls

Recorded in official data among boys in Republic of Ireland in 55 of the 56 years from 1970 to 2025.

In 1999: #344 among girls in Northern Ireland, #439 among girls in Republic of Ireland, #3225 among girls in England and Wales.

Official data from 6 national registrars across 6 regions, 1956–2025 · Office for National Statistics. Data sources

Popularity journey

First recorded1956
First recorded at #94 among girls in New South Wales, Australia in 1956 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New South Wales, Australia · Girls
Highest recorded1997–2018
Highest recorded position: #42 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 1997 (recorded 1997–2018).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #348 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys

Lee appears in 8 of the published lists Namewise holds. The longest record is Republic of Ireland · Boys, with 55 ranked years and 4,159 births registered; the earliest is New South Wales, Australia · Girls, from 1956.

Lee across 8 official records

Each registrar publishes its own list, so these figures are read down a row, never across one. A position in one country is not comparable with a position in another, and Namewise never combines them into a single ranking. The birth counts do not compare across rows either, for a different reason: England and Wales registers roughly thirty times as many births a year as Northern Ireland, so a larger total says which registrar recorded it as much as how widely the name was given.

Lee's first, highest and most recent recorded position in each official list, with the number of births each registrar registered with the name and its largest single year
Published list	First recorded	Highest	Most recent	Years recorded	Births registered	Most in one year
Republic of Ireland · Boys	#185 (1970)	#42 (1998)	#348 (2025)	55 of 56	4,159 (1970–2025)	197 (1996)
Republic of Ireland · Girls	#351 (1969)	#167 (1976)	#655 (2003)	25 of 35	245 (1969–2003)	36 (1976)
England and Wales · Boys	#64 (1996)	#64 (1996)	#1235 (2024)	29 of 29	7,861 (1996–2024)	1,053 (1996)
New South Wales, Australia · Boys	#93 (1959)	#56 (1980)	#84 (1985)	18 of 27	1,947 (1959–1985)	149 (1980)
Northern Ireland · Boys	#42 (1997)	#42 (1997)	#319 (2018)	22 of 22	692 (1997–2018)	82 (1997)
New Zealand · Boys	#88 (1969)	#67 (1977)	#80 (1987)	13 of 19	872 (1969–1987)	87 (1969)
England and Wales · Girls	#2350 (1996)	#1520 (2001)	#5785 (2011)	10 of 16	54 (1996–2011)	12 (2001)
New South Wales, Australia · Girls	#94 (1956)	#81 (1962)	#93 (1966)	9 of 11	751 (1956–1966)	104 (1962)

Where the highest position is not the biggest year

Inside a single year a registrar's ranking is its birth counts put in order, so the top of a list is always the name given to the most babies that year. Across years the two separate, because the number of births and the number of names sharing them both change.

In Republic of Ireland · Boys the name reached its highest position, #42, in 1998, when 143 births were registered with it. More were registered in 1996 — 197 — in a year it ranked #43.

Lee by decade in Republic of Ireland · Boys

Births registered with the name in each decade of this one list, with the number of years the list covers in that decade. Bars are scaled on births a year, which is the figure that compares between decades — a decade the list only partly covers has a smaller total without being a quieter decade. Figures belong to this registrar alone and do not carry to another.

Births registered with Lee in Republic of Ireland · Boys, by decade, with years covered and the average per year
Decade	Births registered	Years covered	A year
1970s	215	9 of 10	24
1980s	617	10 of 10	62
1990sbusiest	1,400	10 of 10	140
2000s	1,383	10 of 10	138
2010s	480	10 of 10	48
2020s	64	6 of 10	11

Across Republic of Ireland · Boys, the 1990s were its busiest decade, averaging 140 births a year.

Its sharpest single-year move came between 1997 and 1998, when recorded births fell by 43, from 186 to 143.

See the names Republic of Irelandhas recorded the most births with →

Lee appears in

Groupings this name qualifies for under their own stated rules, from the same official statistics shown above.

Popularity data

Official popularity data is available for 6 regions, from 1956 to 2025. Highest recorded position: #42 in Republic of Ireland in 2003.

Lee's recorded popularity observations by year, region and administrative category, including rank, registered births, source confidence and when each region's data was last reviewed.
Year	Region	Category	Rank	Births registered	Confidence	Status
2024	England and Wales	male	#1235	22	High	Verified
2023	England and Wales	male	#1139	25	High	Verified
2022	England and Wales	male	#1058	27	High	Verified
2021	England and Wales	male	#888	34	High	Verified
2020	England and Wales	male	#781	40	High	Verified
2019	England and Wales	male	#678	50	High	Verified
2018	England and Wales	male	#636	56	High	Verified
2017	England and Wales	male	#684	51	High	Verified
2016	England and Wales	male	#621	57	High	Verified
2015	England and Wales	male	#526	73	High	Verified
2014	England and Wales	male	#419	97	High	Verified
2013	England and Wales	male	#375	108	High	Verified
2012	England and Wales	male	#358	121	High	Verified
2011	England and Wales	female	#5785	3	High	Verified
2011	England and Wales	male	#281	158	High	Verified
2010	England and Wales	male	#273	169	High	Verified
2009	England and Wales	female	#5556	3	High	Verified
2009	England and Wales	male	#225	199	High	Verified
2008	England and Wales	male	#192	256	High	Verified
2007	England and Wales	male	#185	262	High	Verified
2006	England and Wales	male	#168	284	High	Verified
2005	England and Wales	female	#2970	6	High	Verified
2005	England and Wales	male	#147	322	High	Verified
2004	England and Wales	male	#130	387	High	Verified
2003	England and Wales	male	#130	374	High	Verified
2002	England and Wales	female	#3409	4	High	Verified
2002	England and Wales	male	#113	420	High	Verified
2001	England and Wales	female	#1520	12	High	Verified
2001	England and Wales	male	#105	460	High	Verified
2000	England and Wales	female	#3912	3	High	Verified
2000	England and Wales	male	#98	549	High	Verified
1999	England and Wales	female	#3225	4	High	Verified
1999	England and Wales	male	#91	562	High	Verified
1998	England and Wales	female	#1823	9	High	Verified
1998	England and Wales	male	#73	801	High	Verified
1997	England and Wales	female	#3174	4	High	Verified
1997	England and Wales	male	#72	844	High	Verified
1996	England and Wales	female	#2350	6	High	Verified
1996	England and Wales	male	#64	1,053	High	Verified
1985	New South Wales, Australia	male	#84	86	Insufficient	Not yet available
1984	New South Wales, Australia	male	#73	110	Insufficient	Not yet available
1983	New South Wales, Australia	male	#78	104	Insufficient	Not yet available
1982	New South Wales, Australia	male	#64	130	Insufficient	Not yet available
1981	New South Wales, Australia	male	#64	137	Insufficient	Not yet available
1980	New South Wales, Australia	male	#56	149	Insufficient	Not yet available
1979	New South Wales, Australia	male	#60	144	Insufficient	Not yet available
1978	New South Wales, Australia	male	#68	124	Insufficient	Not yet available
1977	New South Wales, Australia	male	#78	101	Insufficient	Not yet available
1976	New South Wales, Australia	male	#59	145	Insufficient	Not yet available
1975	New South Wales, Australia	male	#60	139	Insufficient	Not yet available
1974	New South Wales, Australia	male	#73	126	Insufficient	Not yet available
1973	New South Wales, Australia	male	#88	84	Insufficient	Not yet available
1971	New South Wales, Australia	male	#95	85	Insufficient	Not yet available
1969	New South Wales, Australia	male	#95	76	Insufficient	Not yet available
1968	New South Wales, Australia	male	#98	67	Insufficient	Not yet available
1967	New South Wales, Australia	male	#88	72	Insufficient	Not yet available
1966	New South Wales, Australia	female	#93	79	Insufficient	Not yet available
1965	New South Wales, Australia	female	#93	80	Insufficient	Not yet available
1963	New South Wales, Australia	female	#91	85	Insufficient	Not yet available
1962	New South Wales, Australia	female	#81	104	Insufficient	Not yet available
1961	New South Wales, Australia	female	#88	94	Insufficient	Not yet available
1959	New South Wales, Australia	female	#95	81	Insufficient	Not yet available
1959	New South Wales, Australia	male	#93	68	Insufficient	Not yet available
1958	New South Wales, Australia	female	#94	86	Insufficient	Not yet available
1957	New South Wales, Australia	female	#100	68	Insufficient	Not yet available
1956	New South Wales, Australia	female	#94	74	Insufficient	Not yet available
1987	New Zealand	male	#80	62	High	Verified
1986	New Zealand	male	#91	57	High	Verified
1985	New Zealand	male	#100	50	High	Verified
1983	New Zealand	male	#97	53	High	Verified
1982	New Zealand	male	#88	53	High	Verified
1981	New Zealand	male	#89	58	High	Verified
1979	New Zealand	male	#91	59	High	Verified
1978	New Zealand	male	#87	67	High	Verified
1977	New Zealand	male	#67	87	High	Verified
1976	New Zealand	male	#71	86	High	Verified
1975	New Zealand	male	#73	86	High	Verified
1970	New Zealand	male	#98	67	High	Verified
1969	New Zealand	male	#88	87	High	Verified
2018	Northern Ireland	male	#319	5	High	Verified
2017	Northern Ireland	male	#415	3	High	Verified
2016	Northern Ireland	male	#421	3	High	Verified
2015	Northern Ireland	male	#259	7	High	Verified
2014	Northern Ireland	male	#264	7	High	Verified
2013	Northern Ireland	male	#171	14	High	Verified
2012	Northern Ireland	male	#204	10	High	Verified
2011	Northern Ireland	male	#191	11	High	Verified
2010	Northern Ireland	male	#127	23	High	Verified
2009	Northern Ireland	male	#125	22	High	Verified
2008	Northern Ireland	male	#114	27	High	Verified
2007	Northern Ireland	male	#82	39	High	Verified
2006	Northern Ireland	male	#83	37	High	Verified
2005	Northern Ireland	male	#76	41	High	Verified
2004	Northern Ireland	male	#57	54	High	Verified
2003	Northern Ireland	male	#63	50	High	Verified
2002	Northern Ireland	male	#52	54	High	Verified
2001	Northern Ireland	male	#70	44	High	Verified
2000	Northern Ireland	male	#62	46	High	Verified
1999	Northern Ireland	female	#344	3	High	Verified
1999	Northern Ireland	male	#61	49	High	Verified
1998	Northern Ireland	male	#50	64	High	Verified
1997	Northern Ireland	male	#42	82	High	Verified
2025	Republic of Ireland	male	#348	11	High	Verified
2024	Republic of Ireland	male	#582	5	High	Verified
2023	Republic of Ireland	male	#396	9	High	Verified
2022	Republic of Ireland	male	#367	11	High	Verified
2021	Republic of Ireland	male	#312	14	High	Verified
2020	Republic of Ireland	male	#307	14	High	Verified
2019	Republic of Ireland	male	#268	17	High	Verified
2018	Republic of Ireland	male	#187	30	High	Verified
2017	Republic of Ireland	male	#188	31	High	Verified
2016	Republic of Ireland	male	#166	36	High	Verified
2015	Republic of Ireland	male	#164	38	High	Verified
2014	Republic of Ireland	male	#157	42	High	Verified
2013	Republic of Ireland	male	#126	52	High	Verified
2012	Republic of Ireland	male	#103	69	High	Verified
2011	Republic of Ireland	male	#111	67	High	Verified
2010	Republic of Ireland	male	#82	98	High	Verified
2009	Republic of Ireland	male	#90	88	High	Verified
2008	Republic of Ireland	male	#78	104	High	Verified
2007	Republic of Ireland	male	#70	114	High	Verified
2006	Republic of Ireland	male	#55	138	High	Verified
2005	Republic of Ireland	male	#46	162	High	Verified
2004	Republic of Ireland	male	#46	161	High	Verified
2003	Republic of Ireland	female	#655	3	High	Verified
2003	Republic of Ireland	male	#42	147	High	Verified
2002	Republic of Ireland	male	#46	153	High	Verified
2001	Republic of Ireland	male	#47	158	High	Verified
2000	Republic of Ireland	male	#44	158	High	Verified
1999	Republic of Ireland	female	#439	4	High	Verified
1999	Republic of Ireland	male	#46	143	High	Verified
1998	Republic of Ireland	female	#498	3	High	Verified
1998	Republic of Ireland	male	#42	143	High	Verified
1997	Republic of Ireland	male	#45	186	High	Verified
1996	Republic of Ireland	male	#43	197	High	Verified
1995	Republic of Ireland	female	#352	7	High	Verified
1995	Republic of Ireland	male	#50	159	High	Verified
1994	Republic of Ireland	female	#502	3	High	Verified
1994	Republic of Ireland	male	#52	143	High	Verified
1993	Republic of Ireland	female	#516	3	High	Verified
1993	Republic of Ireland	male	#61	121	High	Verified
1992	Republic of Ireland	female	#322	9	High	Verified
1992	Republic of Ireland	male	#58	130	High	Verified
1991	Republic of Ireland	female	#338	8	High	Verified
1991	Republic of Ireland	male	#66	102	High	Verified
1990	Republic of Ireland	female	#281	11	High	Verified
1990	Republic of Ireland	male	#84	76	High	Verified
1989	Republic of Ireland	female	#332	8	High	Verified
1989	Republic of Ireland	male	#81	80	High	Verified
1988	Republic of Ireland	female	#290	11	High	Verified
1988	Republic of Ireland	male	#75	88	High	Verified
1987	Republic of Ireland	female	#310	10	High	Verified
1987	Republic of Ireland	male	#84	68	High	Verified
1986	Republic of Ireland	female	#294	11	High	Verified
1986	Republic of Ireland	male	#84	75	High	Verified
1985	Republic of Ireland	female	#292	11	High	Verified
1985	Republic of Ireland	male	#86	74	High	Verified
1984	Republic of Ireland	female	#308	10	High	Verified
1984	Republic of Ireland	male	#116	44	High	Verified
1983	Republic of Ireland	female	#249	17	High	Verified
1983	Republic of Ireland	male	#105	52	High	Verified
1982	Republic of Ireland	female	#355	8	High	Verified
1982	Republic of Ireland	male	#119	41	High	Verified
1981	Republic of Ireland	female	#272	14	High	Verified
1981	Republic of Ireland	male	#108	52	High	Verified
1980	Republic of Ireland	female	#297	12	High	Verified
1980	Republic of Ireland	male	#121	43	High	Verified
1979	Republic of Ireland	female	#286	14	High	Verified
1979	Republic of Ireland	male	#113	46	High	Verified
1978	Republic of Ireland	female	#302	11	High	Verified
1978	Republic of Ireland	male	#124	34	High	Verified
1977	Republic of Ireland	female	#311	10	High	Verified
1977	Republic of Ireland	male	#121	36	High	Verified
1976	Republic of Ireland	female	#167	36	High	Verified
1975	Republic of Ireland	male	#127	28	High	Verified
1974	Republic of Ireland	male	#159	19	High	Verified
1973	Republic of Ireland	female	#374	6	High	Verified
1973	Republic of Ireland	male	#169	17	High	Verified
1972	Republic of Ireland	male	#168	16	High	Verified
1971	Republic of Ireland	male	#217	8	High	Verified
1970	Republic of Ireland	male	#185	11	High	Verified
1969	Republic of Ireland	female	#351	5	High	Verified
2024	Scotland	male	#727	3	High	Verified

England and Wales hub — collected by Office for National Statistics
New South Wales, Australia hub — collected by NSW Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages
New Zealand hub — collected by NZ Department of Internal Affairs
Northern Ireland hub — collected by NISRA
Republic of Ireland hub — collected by CSO Ireland
Scotland hub — collected by National Records of Scotland

See methodology and data sources for how popularity data is collected and what "confidence" means.

What the record shows

Recorded by 6 registrars between 1956 and 2025, ranked in 68 years of that period.

Its highest recorded position is #42, first reached in 1997.

It held a top-100 place in 52 years, 38 of them consecutive.

Its largest count from any one registrar is 1,053 births, registered in England and Wales in 1996.

3 registrars publish it in more than one category list, holding a place in each for at least five years — an observation about those lists rather than about the name.

Its record falls into 3 separate stretches, with a longest absence of 1 year.

A second registrar first ranked it in 1969, and 68 years separate the first registrar to record it from the last.

Every figure here is counted from the seven official registrars Namewise holds. A position is only ever a place within the list that published it, and a record that thins or stops is a fact about what registrars printed — never about how many children received the name.

Where to go next

Records with a comparable body of evidence, so the catalogue can be read outward from this one. Each group states the rule it was selected by.

Next in the catalogue

The records either side of this one alphabetically.

Leanne · #6, 68y
Leart · #2248, 21y
Lee-Junior · #2693, 10y
Leea · #2689, 10y

A comparable record

Records held by the same 6 registrars, over a similar number of ranked years, whose highest position is closest to this one. A similar body of evidence — never a claim that the names themselves are alike.

Malcolm · #45, 71y
Frances · #38, 73y
Douglas · #47, 70y
Russell · #37, 70y

Also first recorded in the 1950s

Records whose earliest ranking in Namewise's registrar data also falls between 1950 and 1959.

Maree · #42, 23y
Vincent · #42, 66y
Brenda · #41, 71y
Colleen · #41, 64y

Lee was ranked #42 in Northern Ireland · Boys in 1997. These are the names immediately either side of it on that published list — a fact about the registrar's own output, not a similarity judgement.

Lee and the names beside it

Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale, in the same year, by the same registrar — so these are positions that genuinely passed each other, not a similarity judgement. Drawn from the 2,573 names with a recorded popularity standing (common, familiar, uncommon), so a name outside that set could have passed Lee without appearing here.

Lee moved ahead of

Vicki Compare
In 2004 they stood at #3409 and #3409 in England and Wales · Girls; by 2005 that had become #2970 and #3970.
Debra Compare
In 2000 they stood at #3912 and #3247 in England and Wales · Girls; by 2001 that had become #1520 and #2226.
Steven Compare
In 2024 they stood at #582 and #302 in Republic of Ireland · Boys; by 2025 that had become #348 and #829.
Finn Compare
In 2004 they stood at #3409 and #2868 in England and Wales · Girls; by 2005 that had become #2970 and #3382.

Moved ahead of Lee

Selma Compare
In 2001 they stood at #1520 and #2023 in England and Wales · Girls; by 2002 that had become #3409 and #1245.
Ida Compare
In 2001 they stood at #1520 and #1728 in England and Wales · Girls; by 2002 that had become #3409 and #1442.
Luca Compare
In 2001 they stood at #1520 and #2023 in England and Wales · Girls; by 2002 that had become #3409 and #1658.
Audrey Compare
In 1996 they stood at #2350 and #2683 in England and Wales · Girls; by 1997 that had become #3174 and #1666.

Moved the opposite way to Lee

Aaron Compare
Between 1970 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Lee went from #185 to #348 while Aaron went from #178 to #71.
Adam Compare
Between 1970 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Lee went from #185 to #348 while Adam went from #206 to #20.
Benjamin Compare
Between 1970 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Lee went from #185 to #348 while Benjamin went from #173 to #83.
Conor Compare
Between 1970 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Lee went from #185 to #348 while Conor went from #45 to #16.

Moved the same way as Lee

Alfred Compare
Between 1970 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Lee went from #185 to #348 and Alfred from #191 to #286.
Denis Compare
Between 1970 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Lee went from #185 to #348 and Denis from #28 to #232.
Edward Compare
Between 1970 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Lee went from #185 to #348 and Edward from #23 to #125.
Frank Compare
Between 1970 and 2025 in Republic of Ireland · Boys, Lee went from #185 to #348 and Frank from #197 to #286.

What's not yet available

Meaning
Origin
Pronunciation
Nicknames and spelling variants

Absence from this list does not mean the name isn't genuinely meaningful or widely used — only that Namewise hasn't sourced and reviewed that content yet. Absence from a specific year or geography above does not prove zero use there either; official statistics only publish names above a minimum threshold.

Official popularity data is available for 6 regions, from 1956 to 2025. Highest recorded position: #42 in Republic of Ireland in 2003. Source data last verified 2026-07-21.

Lee

Lee at a glance

What stands out in Lee's record

What the data shows

Popularity journey

Lee across 8 official records

Where the highest position is not the biggest year

Lee by decade in Republic of Ireland · Boys

Lee appears in

Popularity data

What the record shows

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1950s

Names published alongside Lee

Lee and the names beside it

Lee moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Lee

Moved the opposite way to Lee

Moved the same way as Lee

Lee at a glance

What stands out in Lee's record

Lee across 8 official records

Where the highest position is not the biggest year

Lee by decade in Republic of Ireland · Boys

Lee appears in

What the record shows

Where to go next

Next in the catalogue

A comparable record

Also first recorded in the 1950s

Names published alongside Lee

Lee and the names beside it

Lee moved ahead of

Moved ahead of Lee

Moved the opposite way to Lee

Moved the same way as Lee