2000
#5,763
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,501
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.04
Rare Last name
Lees
Derived from a place name meaning "meadows" or referring to a person who lived near a meadow or pasture.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,020 Americans carry the last name Lees. That puts it at #6,247 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 56,936 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lees surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Lees with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.0K
1 in 56,936
Census rank
#6,247
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,250 bearers of the surname Lees in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6247th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lees, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lees
The surname Lees originated in England, with its roots dating back to the Anglo-Saxon era. It is derived from the Old English word "leah," which means a meadow, clearing, or woodland glade. This term was commonly used as a place name, indicating a settlement situated in such an area.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Lees can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. Several individuals with variations of the name, such as Leia and Lege, were listed as landowners or tenants in various counties.
During the medieval period, the name Lees was particularly prevalent in the northern counties of England, including Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Cheshire. It is believed that many individuals with this surname were descendants of families who lived in or near the numerous places with names derived from "leah," such as Leeswood, Leighton, and Lees.
One notable early bearer of the name was Sir John Lees, a distinguished knight who fought alongside King Edward III during the Hundred Years' War in the mid-14th century. Another prominent figure was Richard Lees, a merchant and alderman in the city of London, who served as Lord Mayor in 1460.
In the 16th century, the name Lees appeared in various historical records, including the parish registers of Lancashire and Yorkshire. One example is Thomas Lees, a wealthy landowner from Oldham, Lancashire, who was born in 1545 and played a significant role in the local community.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Lees family established themselves as influential figures in the textile industry, particularly in the area of wool and cotton manufacturing. Notable individuals from this period include James Lees (1663-1733), a successful woolens merchant from Yorkshire, and Samuel Lees (1742-1824), a pioneering cotton manufacturer from Lancashire.
In the 19th century, the Lees surname was associated with several prominent figures in various fields. These include Edward Lees (1808-1888), a renowned botanist and naturalist from Worcestershire, and Frederic Richard Lees (1815-1897), a prolific writer and composer of hymns from Staffordshire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lees
Among Census respondents with the surname Lees, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Lees bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Lees surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 4,764
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 197
- Two or more races2.5% · 132
- Black or African American1.2% · 64
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 50
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 43
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lees
Lees appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#6,214
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,502
+1 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 1.87
Rank movement Down 451 places
2020
#6,247
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,250
-252 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 1.76
Rank movement Down 33 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,763 | 5,501 | 2.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,214 | 5,502 | 1.87 | +1 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 451 places |
| 2020 | #6,247 | 5,250 | 1.76 | -252 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 33 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Lees surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #6,214 | #6,247 | -0.5% |
| Count | 5,502 | 5,250 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.87 | 1.76 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lees bearers went from 5,502 to 5,250 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 33 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,214 to #6,247.
FAQ
Lees surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lees?
Name Census estimates that about 6,020 living Americans carry the surname Lees. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 56,936 residents.
How common is Lees?
Lees ranks #6,247 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.76 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,250 people with the surname Lees. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,020), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.76 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Lees.
Has Lees become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lees went from 5,502 recorded bearers to 5,250. That is a decrease of 252 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,214 to #6,247.
What does the Census say about the background of Lees?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lees, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Lees in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (4,764 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lees appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (2.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Lees (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Lees mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "meadows" or referring to a person who lived near a meadow or pasture. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Lees (1.76 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Lees?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Lees on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.