Roger de Leges, de Lees 1212 Cur (K).
The plural of Lea.
Lea, Lee, Leigh, Ley, Leys, Lay, Laye, Lye, Lyes.
From one of the many places named (Lees), or dweller by the woods or clearing.
Source: "A Dictionary of British Surnames, by P.H. Reaney, published 1958, third imprint 1966"
Also " A Dictionary of English Surnames by P.H. Reaney & RM Wilson, published 1958, third edition 1991"1. English topographical name from ME Lees fields, arable land, plural of Lee.
2. English topographical name for any of the places named with the noun, plural, leas, of OE leah woods clearing.
Examples of places so named are Lees nr Ashton-under-Lyne and Leece nr Barrow-in-Furnace.
3. English from the medieval female given name Lece, a contracted form of Lettice (see Lett).
4. Scotts, aphetic form of Gillies.
The surname is found mainly in SE Lancs. with a smaller concentration in South Staffordshire.
Source: "A Dictionary of Surnames, by Patrick Hanks & Flavia Hodges published 1988 by Oxford Univesity Press"Lived in a clearing or by the side of a woods making chair & table legs out of un-seasoned wood?
Source: From an "Open University" program shown in UK on BBC 2 Television channel during the 1980's
Another meaning is from the Scottish word for “Reader”
Source: An email received from, David Lees (not related) 14th March 2004
1. English and Scottish: topographic name from Middle English lees ‘fields’, ‘arable land’, plural of lee (see Lee), or from Middle English lese ‘pasture’, ‘meadow’ (Old English).
2. English: habitational name from Leece or Lees in Lancashire, or Leese in Cheshire, all named from Old English leas ‘woodland clearings’ (plural of leah), or from Leece in Cumbria, which was probably named with a Celtic word, lïss ‘hall’, ‘court’, ‘the principal house in a district’.
3. English: variant spelling of Leece.
4. Scottish: reduced form of Gillies.
5. Scottish and Irish: reduced and altered form of McLeish.
6. Dutch: variant of Leys.
Source: Ancestory.com 5th September 2005Originaly created: by Phil Lees 24th April 2003, Update:,05-Jun-2006 errors & omitions accepted