Find out how popular the last name McLee is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named McLee.

McLee, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the McLee surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McLee in America

McLee is the 106096th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McLee surname appeared 168 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname McLee.

We can also compare 2010 data for McLee to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name McLee

The surname MCLEE has its origins in Scotland, where it first emerged in the early 13th century. The name is derived from the Gaelic words "mac" meaning "son of" and "lìth" meaning "gray" or "hoary". It was initially spelled as MacLìth or MacLeith.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name MCLEE can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1264, which mention a person named John MacLeith. The name also appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of homage rolls submitted to King Edward I of England.

In the 14th century, the name began to be anglicized to its current spelling, MCLEE. This was likely due to the influence of English scribes who struggled with the Gaelic spellings. The earliest known use of the MCLEE spelling can be found in the Register of the Great Seal of Scotland from 1380, which mentions a William McLeye.

The MCLEE surname is closely associated with the Scottish Highlands, particularly the regions of Argyll and Perthshire. Many bearers of the name can trace their ancestry back to the clan territories of these areas.

One notable bearer of the MCLEE surname was John McLee (c. 1570 - c. 1635), a Scottish poet and minister who served as the minister of Kilcalmonell in Argyll. His works include religious poetry and translations of French and Italian sonnets.

Another significant figure with the MCLEE surname was Archibald McLee (1687 - 1762), a Scottish mathematician and philosopher who made important contributions to the development of calculus. He was a contemporary of Isaac Newton and corresponded with many leading thinkers of the Enlightenment.

In the 19th century, the name MCLEE gained prominence through the work of Sir George McLee (1814 - 1892), a Scottish engineer and architect who designed several notable buildings in Glasgow, including the Glasgow City Chambers.

Other notable bearers of the MCLEE surname include Robert McLee (1807 - 1876), a Scottish journalist and political activist who campaigned for workers' rights, and Iain McLee (1928 - 2003), a Scottish artist and sculptor known for his abstract works in metal and stone.

While the name MCLEE is predominantly found in Scotland and among Scottish diaspora communities, it has also spread to other parts of the world through migration and intermarriage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McLee

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname McLee.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for McLee was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of McLee has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name McLee was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of McLee, please contact us.

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