Lee Surname History

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SURNAME MEANING
An English topographic surname denoting someone who lived near a meadow or a patch of arable land, from the Old English word lēa, meaning “wood” or “glade”, referring to a forest clearing or meadow

An English habitational surname denoting a person from any of the many places on England named Lee, including those in Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hampshire, and Kent, or from places named Lea, including those in Cheshire, Derbyshire, Herefordshire, Lancashire, Lincolnshire, and Wiltshire

EARLY BEARERS
Ailric de la Leie – Northampton – 1148
Turqod de la Lea – Warwick – 1193
Roger de Lees – Norfolk – 1272
Richard de la Lee – Wiltshire – 1272
Phelippe de la Leye – Scotland – 1296

The Lee Family of Stanton, Roden and afterwards of Langley and Coton Hall, Shropshire, traces its ancestry back to Reginald de la Lee, Sheriff in 1201, son of Hugo de Lega

NOBLE TITLES HELD
The Lee Baronetcy of Langley in the County of Wiltshire in the Baronetage of England was created in 1620 for Sir Humphry Lee, fourth in descent from Richard Lee, Sheriff of Shropshire in 1479, a relative of Sir Ralph de Lee of Lee Hall. He was succeeded by his son Sir Richard Lee (d. 1660) who sat in the House of Commons.

The Lee Baronetcy of Quarrendon in the County of Buckinghamshire in the Baronetage of England was created c. 1611 for Sir Henry Lee (d. 1631), son of Sir Robert Lee of Hulcote. His cousin, Sir Henry Lee of Ditchley (d. 1611), son of Sir Anthony Lee, was Queen’s Champion and Master of the Armouries under Elizabeth I.

Sir Edward Lee, 5th Baronet of Quarrendon, was elevated to the peerage as Viscount Quarrendon and Earl of Litchfield in 1677 in anticipation of his marriage to the king’s daughter, Lady Charlotte Fitzroy.

The Lee Baronetcy of Hartwell in the County of Buckinghamshire in the Baronetage of England was created in 1660 for Sir Thomas Lee, a Member of Parliament

LANDED GENTRY
Lee of Barna, co. Tipperary, Ireland
Lee of Dynas Powis, co. Glamorgan, Wales
Lee of Grove Hall, co. Yorkshire, England
Lee of The Abbey, co. Knaresborough, England
Lee of Kingsgate House, co. Hampshire, England
Lee of Holborough Court, co. Kent, England

NOTABLES
Charles Lee (d. 1782) was an English-born American military officer who served as a general of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He also served earlier in the British Army during the Seven Years War. He sold his commission after the Seven Years War and served for a time in the Polish army of King Stanislaus II Augustus.

Robert Edward Lee (1807-1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army.

Henry Lee III (1756-1818) was an early American Patriot and U.S. politician who served as the ninth Governor of Virginia and as the Virginia Representative to the United States Congress. Lee's service during the American Revolution as a cavalry officer in the Continental Army earned him the nickname by which he is best known, "Light-Horse Harry".

Richard Henry Lee (1732-1794), signor of the Declaration of Independence and United States Senator from Virginia

Col. Thomas Lee (c. 1690-1750) was a planter and politician in colonial Virginia.

Colonel Richard Lee II (1647–1715) was a planter, politician and military officer for Westmoreland County, Virginia

Richard Lee I (1618-1664), arrived in Virginia in 1639, was a Member of the Virginia House of Burgesses and Attorney General

Francis Lightfoot Lee (1734-1797), signor of the Declaration of Independence

EARLY BEARERS
Bridget Lee – Massachusetts – 1623
Christopher Lee – Virginia – 1623
Priscilla Lee – Virginia – 1700
Humphrey Lee – Virginia – 1705
Bryan Lee – Virginia – 1711
Philip Lee – Virginia – 1712
Benjamin Lee – Halifax – 1750
Edward Lee – Halifax - 1750