Lee: Meaning, Pronunciation and Origin
Lee comes from the English lēah, “clearing,” and also from the Irish surname Ó Laoidhigh, “poetic.” Here’s how to say it, where it comes from, and names that go well with it.
Updated September 2026
- Gender
- Boy
- Popularity in Ireland
- No. 348 for boys (2025)
How do you pronounce Lee?
Lee is pronounced LEE. It has one syllable.
What does Lee mean?
Lee has more than one source. As an English name it comes from a surname based on the Old English lēah, “clearing.” In Ireland, Lee is also an anglicized form of the surname Ó Laoidhigh, “descendant of Laoidheach,” a name Patrick Woulfe explained as “poetic” (compare laoi, “lay, poem”). The Ó Laoidhigh family of West Connacht served for centuries as hereditary physicians to the O’Flahertys.
The name also recalls the River Lee, An Laoi in Irish, which rises near Gougane Barra and flows through Cork city. The origin of the river’s Irish name is uncertain. St. Finbarr founded his church and monastery on a cliff above the Lee around 606, in what is now Cork.
Sources: Behind the Name, Woulfe, Irish Names and Surnames (1923), Ó Dónaill's Irish dictionary (teanglann.ie), Wikipedia, logainm.ie.
How popular is Lee in Ireland?
In 2025, 11 baby boys in Ireland were named Lee, which made it No. 348 that year. That's down from No. 164 ten years earlier. It was most popular in 2003, when 147 baby boys were named Lee, No. 42 that year. The most babies got the name in 1996: 197. It first appears in the records in 1970, with 11 baby boys.
See the numbers by year
| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 11 | No. 348 |
| 2024 | 5 | No. 582 |
| 2023 | 9 | No. 396 |
| 2022 | 11 | No. 367 |
| 2021 | 14 | No. 312 |
| 2020 | 14 | No. 307 |
| 2019 | 17 | No. 268 |
| 2018 | 30 | No. 187 |
| 2017 | 31 | No. 188 |
| 2016 | 36 | No. 166 |
| 2015 | 38 | No. 164 |
| 2014 | 42 | No. 157 |
| 2013 | 52 | No. 126 |
| 2012 | 69 | No. 103 |
| 2011 | 67 | No. 111 |
| 2010 | 98 | No. 82 |
| 2009 | 88 | No. 90 |
| 2008 | 104 | No. 78 |
| 2007 | 114 | No. 70 |
| 2006 | 138 | No. 55 |
| 2005 | 162 | No. 46 |
| 2004 | 161 | No. 46 |
| 2003 | 147 | No. 42 |
| 2002 | 153 | No. 46 |
| 2001 | 158 | No. 47 |
| 2000 | 158 | No. 44 |
| 1999 | 143 | No. 46 |
| 1998 | 143 | No. 42 |
| 1997 | 186 | No. 45 |
| 1996 | 197 | No. 43 |
| 1995 | 159 | No. 50 |
| 1994 | 143 | No. 52 |
| 1993 | 121 | No. 61 |
| 1992 | 130 | No. 58 |
| 1991 | 102 | No. 66 |
| 1990 | 76 | No. 84 |
| 1989 | 80 | No. 81 |
| 1988 | 88 | No. 75 |
| 1987 | 68 | No. 84 |
| 1986 | 75 | No. 84 |
| 1985 | 74 | No. 86 |
| 1984 | 44 | No. 116 |
| 1983 | 52 | No. 105 |
| 1982 | 41 | No. 119 |
| 1981 | 52 | No. 108 |
| 1980 | 43 | No. 121 |
| 1979 | 46 | No. 113 |
| 1978 | 34 | No. 124 |
| 1977 | 36 | No. 121 |
| 1975 | 28 | No. 127 |
| 1974 | 19 | No. 159 |
| 1973 | 17 | No. 169 |
| 1972 | 16 | No. 168 |
| 1971 | 8 | No. 217 |
| 1970 | 11 | No. 185 |
Lee in Ogham
Ogham is the oldest way of writing Irish. It was carved along the edges of standing stones, mostly between the 4th and 6th centuries, and read from the bottom up. In later tradition each letter was named after a tree or plant. Here’s Lee, letter by letter.
- LLuis, rowan
- EEadhadh, aspen
- EEadhadh, aspen
Write any name in Ogham with our Ogham translator
Names that go with Lee
Questions about Lee
- How do you pronounce Lee?
- Lee is pronounced LEE. One syllable.
- Is Lee a girl's name or a boy's name?
- Lee is a boy's name.
- How popular is Lee in Ireland?
- In 2025, Lee was No. 348 for boys in Ireland, with 11 babies, according to the Central Statistics Office. It was most popular in 2003, at No. 42.