Leejay
A unique combination name, possibly derived from Lee and Jay.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Leejay. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Leejay today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Leejay births was 2012 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Leejay. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Leejay with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Leejay. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2012
5 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2012 SSA rank
#13,413
Tracked since 2012
Popularity
Leejay: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Leejay by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Leejay during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Leejay
The given name Leejay is a relatively modern invention, likely originating in the late 20th century. It does not appear to have roots in any particular language or cultural tradition. The name is a combination of the common English name Lee, which is derived from the Old English word "leah" meaning a meadow or woodland clearing, and the suffix "jay" which may be intended to evoke the bird of the same name.
There are no known historical references or ancient texts that mention the name Leejay. As a relatively recent coinage, it does not have a long recorded history or notable bearers from previous centuries. The earliest documented examples of the name likely date back only a few decades at most.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Leejay was Leejay Levene, a guitarist who performed with the punk rock band Discharge in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Leejay Levene's birth name was Lee Harris, and he adopted the moniker Leejay as a stage name.
Another individual with the name Leejay is Leejay Thompson, a British actor and television presenter who has appeared in various shows and films since the late 1990s. He was born in 1977 and is known for his work on programs like Casualty and The Bill.
Leejay Abrahams is a South African rugby union player who has represented the country's national team, the Springboks. He was born in 1987 and has played as a wing or fullback in international competitions.
Leejay Edmunds is an American singer and songwriter who has released several albums in the country and Americana genres since the early 2000s. He was born in 1975 and is based in Nashville, Tennessee.
Leejay Sampson is a British artist and illustrator known for her work in children's books and graphic novels. She has illustrated various publications since the late 1990s and has also worked as a storyboard artist for animated films.
People
Leejay + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Leejay as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Leejay: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Leejay?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Leejay going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Leejay a common name?
We classify Leejay as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Leejay most popular?
The single biggest year for Leejay was 2012, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Leejay is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Leejay in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Leejay a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Leejay in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Leejay still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Leejay in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Leejay can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Leejay?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.