This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'at the lea,' from ley, legh, lea, or lay, a meadow, a grassy plain. The local names with which this word is incorporated as affix or suffix are innumerable; compare Leighton, Chudleigh, Eckersley, Leyburn, &c. Of itself, also, it represents countless spots styled Lee, Lees, Leigh, Lea, Leece (a village in Furness), Sic. The local surnames built upon it are equally numerous, comprising (without adducing compound forms) Lee, Lees, Leese, Leece, Legg, Legge, Legh, Leigh, Ley, Lay, and Lea, all of which see under their respective heads.

Henry de la Lee, Cambridgeshire, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

Richard de la Lee, Wiltshire, ibid.

John de la Lee. Placitorum in domo capitulari Westmonasteriensi.

Roger de la Lee. Calendarium Inquisitionum Post Mortem.

Johannes del Lee, 1379: Poll Tax of Yorkshire.

1550-1. John Lee and Agnes Masset: Marriage Lic. (London).

1565. Baptised — Anne, d. Henry Lee: St. James, Clerkenwell.

Local. The earlier references point to an English origin. Alan de Leia witnessed a charter by Eschina uxor Walteri a. 1177, and a later Alan de Leya witnessed a charter by Alexander, son of Walter, senescallus, 1246 (RMP., p. 75, 89). Phelippe de la Leye rendered homage, 1296 (Bain, II, p. 196). Robertus de Lee, 1436 (Home, 6). John Lie in Snook-miln, 1718 (Lauder).

A pasture, meadow, lands not plowed, a common, a sheltered place; Lee, a river, a stream, from Lli, Welsh, a stream.

The surname Lee is a variant of Lea. This is a place name coming from the Old English word ‘leah’, which means ‘wood, glade, clearing, field or pasture’. The related surnames Legh and Leigh are usually from the Middle English form of the word, ‘legh’-though they do occasionally derive from the older source. However, contrary to appearances, these latter Leighs (and Leghs) are not closer derivations of the Old English source than the Lees and Leas. ‘Lea’ is the dative of the Old English ‘Leah’, and was used after prepositions such as ‘at’ or ‘in’. It was common practice to refer to someone who lived by a particular place as living ‘at’ it-as, for example, in John at Lee. Thus we get the name Atlee.

Other variations on the name come from the Old English ‘laege’ meaning ‘fallow’, and ‘laes’ meaning ‘meadow’. These include Ley, Leys, Laye, Lye, Lees, and such obvious rural compounds as Leabrook.

Early references to Lee abound in the records from the twelfth century onwards, and are found all over England. One of the earliest is to an Ailric de la Leie, who appears in the early Charters for Norfolk covering the years 1148—66.

Gypsy Rose Lee (1904—70) was the greatest strip-tease artist of them all, bringing wit, style and grace to this profession unmatched since Salome. After retiring she wrote the best-selling autobiography Gypsy, and then wrote two further best-sellers The G-String Murders (1941) and Mother finds a Body (1942). During World War II she returned to the stage to strip for war-bonds.

The Lee Commission was appointed by the British Govern­ment in 1923 to consider the racial composition of India’s higher government services. As a result of its recommendations, when India became independent in 1947 over half of the 1,000 members of these services were Indians with long experience.

Lee’s Professor is the holder of one of three chairs at Oxford.

England’s Prime Ministers, past and present, owe a debt of gratitude to Arthur Hamilton Lee-he left them his estate, Chequers, for use as a country house.

Poet and novelist Laurie Lee based books like Cider with Rosie and As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning on his deep love and understanding of rural Gloucestershire, where he grew up.

Manfred B. Lee is better known by his pseudonym, Ellery Queen. Together with Frederic Dannay, he wrote murder mysteries which often featured a break just before the end, inviting the reader to see if he could solve the crime before the fictional detective announced the solution.

Lees seem to have a predilection for achieving fame on the stage. Amongst the best known of these are Christopher Lee, maestro of the Hammer horror films, Bruce Lee the great Kung Fu hero, and Vivien Leigh, one-time wife of Laurence Olivier, who played Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With The Wind.

Robert E. Lee was the only general in history to have been offered the command of both armies in a war. He turned down the offer of the Union command and went on to become the legendary leader of the Southern Army during the American Civil War. His family produced several other outstanding military commanders. Robert’s father, Henry ‘Light-Horse’ Lee, was a close aide to George Washington, and Henry’s eldest son, also called Henry, distinguished himself in the War of 1812.

English clergyman William Lee (1550—1610) invented the first knitting machine. The woman he was courting showed far more interest in knitting than in his attentions, and this was his solution.

A total of 25 towns and cities in the United Kingdom are related to this name including 5 towns called Lee, 2 Leeds, and 2 named Lees. While Canada is Lee-less the United States has 26 name-related towns and cities. Denmark also has a town called Lee. The name is geographically common.

With about 119,000 namesakes Lee is the 42nd most popular surname in England and Wales. (The name is not common enough throughout Scotland to be counted separately.) Lee is notably popular in and around Sheffield where an estimated one in about 415 families bears the name. In descending numerical order Bradford, Leeds and Nottingham are other Lee strongholds. Around the world Lees are most common in Vancouver (one in 308 families), Toronto (one in 419) and Sydney (one in 547). The United States has more Lees than the entire population of Bristol-an estimated total of just under 429,000 makes this their 35th most popular surname.