Lees is a surname meaning "open place" and deriving from several locations in England in Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Cheshire, Lincolnshire, Wiltshire. Notable people with the surname include: * Andrew Lees (environmentalist) (1949–1994), British environmentalist *

Andrew Lees (neurologist) Andrew John Lees (born 1947) is Professor of Neurology at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London and University College London. In 2011 he was named as the world's most highly cited Parkinson's disease resear ...

(born 1947), English neurologist * Arthur Lees (rugby), English rugby union and rugby league footballer who played in the 1890s and 1900s *

Arthur Lees Arthur Lees (21 February 1908 – 26 March 1992) was an English professional golfer who played from the 1930s to 1960s. He was a member of four Great Britain Ryder Cup teams in the late 1940s and 1950s, and won several tournaments in Europe du ...

(1908–1992), English golfer *

Benjamin Lees Benjamin Lees (January 8, 1924 – May 31, 2010) was an American composer of classical music. Early life Lees was born Benjamin George Lisniansky in Harbin, Manchuria, of Russian-Jewish descent. Lees was still an infant when his family emigra ...

(1924–2010), American classical music composer *

Brian Lees Brian Paul Lees (born July 25, 1953 in Amesbury, Massachusetts) is a Massachusetts politician, who served as the Clerk of Courts for Hampden County. Until 2007, he had been the State Senator from the First Hampden and Hampshire District and ...

(born 1953), Massachusetts politician * Brian Lees (geographer) (born 1944), Australian Geographer *

Camilla Lees Camilla Lees (born 27 March 1989 in Pukekohe, New Zealand) is a New Zealand netball player. Lees made her debut in the ANZ Championship with the Central Pulse in 2009, after initially being considered for the Canterbury Tactix. She made the New ...

(born 1989), Australian netball player *

Charles Lees (disambiguation) Charles Lees may refer to: * Charles Lees (colonial administrator) (1837–1898), British military officer and colonial administrator * Charles Lees (painter) (1800–1880), Scottish portrait painter * Charles Herbert Lees (1864–1952), Bakerian L ...

, several people *

Daryanne Lees Daryanne Lees Garcia (born 25 December 1986 in San Juan, Puerto Rico ) is a Cuban- Puerto Rican beauty queen who represented Cuba at Miss Grand International 2014 where she won the title. Personal life Lees was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico in ...

(born 1986), Cuban-Puerto Rican model and beauty queen *

David Lees David Lees (1881–1934) was a Scottish expert in public health and author of the authoritative work ''Diagnosis and Treatment of Venereal Disease''. Life He was born in 1881, the son of Agnes Drennan and her husband, Robert Lees a vet from Lag ...

(1881–1934), Scottish public health expert *

Edwin Lees Edwin Lees (1800–1887) was a British botanist and antiquarian. Life He was born at Worcester in 1800, was educated at Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan ...

(1800–1887), British botanist and antiquarian *

Sir Elliott Lees, 1st Baronet Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Elliott Lees, 1st Baronet, DSO (23 October 1860 – 16 October 1908), was a British Conservative Party politician. Lees was educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford. Lees was elected to the House of Commons for Old ...

(1860–1908), British Conservative Party politician and soldier *Gabriel Lees (born 1990), French-British ski mountaineer * Geoffrey Lees (cricketer) (1920–2012), English cricketer * Geoffrey Lees (footballer) (1933–2019), English footballer *

Geoff Lees (racing driver) Geoffrey Lees (born 1 May 1951) is a former racing driver from England. He participated in 12 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, making his first appearance on 16 July 1978. He scored no championship points. Career Lees was born near ...

(born 1951), English racing driver *

George Harmon Lees The mayor of Hamilton is head of Hamilton City Council. The current mayor is Andrea Horwath. The following is a list of mayors of Hamilton: *Colin Campbell Ferrie - 1847 *George Sylvester Tiffany - 1848 * William L. Distin - 1849 *John Fish ...

( fl. 1911–1912), mayor of Hamilton, Ontario * Harcourt Lees (1776–1852), Irish political pamphleteer * Harrington Clare Lees (1870–1929), Anglican archbishop of Melbourne *

James Lees-Milne (George) James Henry Lees-Milne (6 August 1908 – 28 December 1997) was an English writer and expert on country houses, who worked for the National Trust from 1936 to 1973. He was an architectural historian, novelist and biographer. His extensi ...

(1908–1997), English writer and expert on country houses * Jack Lees (footballer) (1892–1983), English footballer *

Jim Lees James Travers Lees, QPM (18 August 1920 – 3 September 2004) was the Commissioner of the New South Wales Police from 17 October 1979 to 29 December 1981. Private life Lees was born in 1920 at Hornsby, New South Wales, and went on to attend th ...

(1919–2004), Commissioner of the New South Wales Police *

Joanne Lees Joanne Rachael Lees (born 25 September 1973) is a British woman who was attacked and subjected to an attempted abduction while travelling in Australia with her partner Peter Falconio. Lees escaped her attacker, but Falconio was never found. The ...

(born 1973), British girlfriend of Peter Falconio (murder victim in Australia) * John Lees (disambiguation), several people * Martin Lees (born 1969), Journalist, Podcaster and Tech Evangelist *

Marjory Lees Marjory Lees (9 September 1878 – 11 May 1970) was a British suffragist and local politician. Lees was active in the local women's movement in Oldham, Greater Manchester where she became the honorary secretary of the local branch of the National ...

(1878–1970), British suffragist and politician *

Meg Lees Meg Heather Lees (née Francis, born 19 October 1948) is a former member of the Australian Senate from 1990 to 2005, representing the state of South Australia. She represented the Australian Democrats from 1990 to 2002, and was her party's le ...

(born 1948), member of the Australian Senate * Merv Lees, Australian rugby league footballer *

Nathaniel Lees Nathaniel Lees is a New Zealand theatre actor and director and film actor of Samoan descent, best known for film roles in ''The Matrix Reloaded'', '' The Matrix Revolutions'' and '' The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'' and for starring in '' Y ...

(born 1972), New Zealand actor and theatre director * Paris Lees, British journalist and activist *

Robert Lees Robert Lees (July 10, 1912 – June 13, 2004) was an American television and film screenwriter. Lees was best known for writing comedy, including several Abbott and Costello films. Life and career Born in San Francisco, California, Lees ...

(1912–2004), American television and film screenwriter *

Robert Lees (linguist) Robert B. Lees (9 July 1922 – 6 December 1996) was an American linguist. Education Lees went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1956 to work on its machine translation project. He first came to notice with an influential review of ...

(1922–1996), American linguist *

Robert James Lees Robert James Lees (12 August 1849 – 11 January 1931) was a British spiritualist, medium, preacher, writer and healer of the late Victorian era and early twentieth century known today for claims that he knew the identity of Jack the Ripper, ...

(1849–1931) British spiritualist and medium *

Sarah Lees Dame Sarah Anne Lees (''née'' Buckley; 13 November 1842 – 14 April 1935) of Werneth Park, Oldham, was an English Liberal politician, activist, and philanthropist who was the first female councillor elected in Lancashire (1907–19) and the ...

(1842–1935), English politician, activist and philanthropist * Sue Lees (1941–2002), English academic, activist, feminist and writer * Susan H. Lees, American anthropologist and human ecologist *

Terry Lees Terence Lees (born 30 June 1952) is an English former footballer who played in the Football League for Stoke City, Crewe Alexandra, Port Vale, Birmingham City, Newport County and Scunthorpe United, in the North American Soccer League for ...

(born 1952), English footballer *

Tom Lees Thomas James Lees (born 28 November 1990) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Huddersfield Town. Lees began his career in the youth teams at Leeds before turning professional with the Yorkshire club in early 20 ...

(born 1990), English footballer * Walter Lees (cricketer) (1875–1924), English Test cricketer *

Walter Edwin Lees Walter Edwin Lees (July 16, 1887 – May 16, 1957) was an early American aviator who set a flight endurance record in 1931. Biography He was born on July 16, 1887, in Janesville, Wisconsin, and attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He m ...

(1887–1957), American aviator *

Warren Lees Warren Kenneth Lees (born 19 March 1952) is a New Zealand cricketer and coach (sport), coach. He played 21 Test and 31 ODIs from 1976 to 1983 as a wicket-keeper batsman. He was coach of the Black Caps from 1990 to 1993. Domestic career He ...

(born 1952), New Zealand Test cricketer

The Lees family of Oldham

Lees is a small suburb of

Oldham Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, amid the Pennines and between the rivers Irk and Medlock, southeast of Rochdale and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, wh ...

located on the old

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

border. The name Lees is an old Saxon word for the field systems that developed in this locality. ''lees'' meaning literally 'field'. In this area of South East Lancashire along with Oldham many former cotton producing towns such as

Bolton Bolton (, locally ) is a large town in Greater Manchester in North West England, formerly a part of Lancashire. A former mill town, Bolton has been a production centre for textiles since Flemish people, Flemish weavers settled in the area i ...

Bury Bury may refer to: *The burial of human remains *-bury, a suffix in English placenames Places England * Bury, Cambridgeshire, a village * Bury, Greater Manchester, a town, historically in Lancashire ** Bury (UK Parliament constituency) (1832–19 ...

, Middleton,

Royton Royton is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, with a population of 21,284 in 2011. Close to the source of the River Irk, near undulating land at the foothills of the South Pennines, it is northwest of Old ...

, Crompton and

Chadderton Chadderton is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, on the River Irk and Rochdale Canal. It is located in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Oldham, south of Rochdale and north-east of Manchester. Hi ...

, there are many families who still bear the name of Lees. A Lees Hall once stood on the outskirts of Oldham which was demolished in the mid nineteenth century and unfortunately there are no surviving images. The Parish records of the town are littered with name of Lees dating back to the fourteenth century.

Given name

Sir Lees Knowles, 1st Baronet Sir Lees Knowles, 1st Baronet (16 February 1857 – 7 October 1928) was a British barrister, military historian and Conservative politician. Early life Knowles was the son of John Knowles and Elizabeth Lees of Green Bank, Oldham, Lancashir ...

References

{{Reflist English-language surnames