Lee vs Emily
How Lee and Emily compare across 146 years of US Social Security Administration baby-name records — popularity history, peak years, current rank, and which name overtook which.
US Popularity History — Side-by-Side
Annual US births named Lee (boys) vs Emily (girls), from US Social Security Administration national records.
Source: US Social Security Administration. Names appearing fewer than 5 times per year are suppressed by SSA.
Quick Stats
| Metric | Lee | Emily |
|---|---|---|
| Peak year (most US births) | 1951 — 3,682 boys | 1999 — 26,542 girls |
| Peak rank | #92 | #1 |
| Most recent rank (2025) | #727 (366 births) | #34 (5,451 births) |
| Total US births since 1880 | 138,955 | 807,425 |
| Last 10 years (2016–2025) | 3,587 | 75,367 |
Peak comparison takeaway
At its all-time peak, Emily reached 26,542 US births in 1999 — 22,860 more than Lee's peak count.
Crossover Years
Years where one name first passed the other in annual US births. A name "winning" in a year means it had more births that year, not necessarily a higher rank.
| Year | New leader | Lee births | Emily births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1888 | Emily | 430 | 457 |
| 1900 | Lee | 675 | 0 |
| 1901 | Emily | 424 | 537 |
| 1903 | Lee | 477 | 0 |
| 1905 | Emily | 486 | 683 |
| 1906 | Lee | 436 | 0 |
| 1907 | Emily | 516 | 714 |
| 1908 | Lee | 553 | 0 |
| 1913 | Emily | 1,228 | 1,386 |
| 1917 | Lee | 2,004 | 0 |
| 1973 | Emily | 0 | 3,027 |
Strongest States — Last 10 Years
States where each name ranked highest, from SSA's state-level dataset. Lower average rank = name appears closer to the top of that state's boys-name list.
Lee — top 5 states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iowa | #410 | 55 |
| 2 | Nebraska | #466 | 21 |
| 3 | Arkansas | #477 | 35 |
| 4 | Pennsylvania | #484 | 189 |
| 5 | Mississippi | #516 | 38 |
Emily — top 5 states
| # | State | Avg rank | Births |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | #10 | 12,185 |
| 2 | New Jersey | #13 | 2,319 |
| 3 | Florida | #13 | 4,899 |
| 4 | Texas | #14 | 8,237 |
| 5 | New York | #15 | 4,529 |
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Data & methodology
Source: US Social Security Administration national baby names dataset 1880–2025 (CC0 public domain). Names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a given year are suppressed by SSA. State-level coverage runs 1910–2025. Crossover detection compares annual birth counts (not ranks) for each year both names appear. Methodology: see full notes. More comparisons →