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See Lee for a full list of uses.

Lee is a common surname in English-speaking countries. A common spelling variant is Leigh. It derives from Middle English lea, meaning "meadow, forest clearing", a residence name in England. Lee was the 35th most common surname in England and Wales in the 1990s, and the 213th in U.S.A. in 1990^[1]. The American data includes bearers of the Chinese surname Lee and the Korean surname Lee. In Ireland, Lee has been used to anglicize Gaelic "descendant of Laoidhigh (poet)". A rare spelling variant is Lea. Charles Lee, Robert E. Lee, and Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee were well-known generals in the United States. See also Henry Lee (disambiguation) for more people of that name. See also Alexander Lee for the notable historian. Image File history File links Mergefrom. ... Look up lee, Lee, leeward, alee in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Look up lee, Lee, leeward, alee in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... 李 Lǐ Li, Lee or Ly is a common transliteration of several Chinese family names, including that of 李 (pinyin Lǐ), the most common Chinese family name, and other less common surnames such as 黎 (Lí); 理 and 里 (both pronounced as Lǐ); 郦, (酈), 栗, 厉, (厲), and 利 (all pronounced as Lì). Calligraphically, Li (李) is the same character as... Lee is the common English spelling of 이 (pronounced ), a common Korean family name. ... For other uses, see Robert E. Lee (disambiguation). ... Henry Lee III (January 29, 1756 - March 25, 1818), American general, called Light Horse Harry, was born near Dumfries, Virginia. ... Henry Lee may refer to Sir Henry Lee of Ditchley (1533-1611), Master of the Ordnance and Queens Champion under Elizabeth I of England. ... Alexander Christopher Lee (born 1981) is a British historian and political theorist. ...

A number of places in the US have been named for the various famous people named Lee:

• Lee, Massachusetts
• Lee, New Hampshire
• Lee Township, Michigan
• Lee Township, Minnesota
• Lee's Summit, Missouri
• various places named Fort Lee
• various places named Leesburg
• various places named Leesville

In the UK the reverse is true: a family name of Lee derives from a place name. See Lee for a list of some. Lee is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. ... Lee is a town in Strafford County, New Hampshire, USA. The population was 4,145 at the 2000 census. ... Lee Township is the name of some places in the U.S. state of Michigan: Lee Township, Allegan County, Michigan Lee Township, Calhoun County, Michigan Lee Township, Midland County, Michigan This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Lee Township is the name of some places in the U.S. state of Minnesota: Lee Township, Aitkin County, Minnesota Lee Township, Beltrami County, Minnesota Lee Township, Norman County, Minnesota This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Lees Summit is a city in Jackson County and Cass County, Missouri. ... Fort Lee is the name of two places in the United States of America: Fort Lee, New Jersey Fort Lee, Virginia This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Leesburg is the name of some places in the United States of America: Leesburg, Alabama Leesburg, Florida Leesburg, Georgia Leesburg, Indiana Leesburg, Ohio Leesburg, Virginia Leesburg, Kentucky (Note that there are also places spelled Leasburg. ... Leesville is the name of some places in the United States of America: Leesville, Louisiana Leesville, Ohio There is also Batesburg-Leesville, South Carolina. ... Look up lee, Lee, leeward, alee in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Lee has been in quiet but steady use as a first name. Besides the surname origin, it is a nickname for Leo, Leroy, Liam, and Leland. In the U.S. its popularity peak as a male first name was around 1890, and as a female first name in the 1950s. Lee is much more common as a middle name, particularly for women, as one-syllable names are favored for the sake of rhythm. Its use has also been inspired by names like Rosalie and Aurelie, sometimes spelled Rosa Lee or Ora Lee. This article does not cite any references or sources. ...