Greenlee
A surname most likely tied to a place-name or to the color green, with spellings that overlap with Greenlees and related forms.
The #3,933 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 34,123 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Greenlee is usually treated as a surname built from the element "green" plus a second element that may reflect a place-name ending or an older local feature name. In surname use, it most likely began as a locational name for someone from, or living near, a green or grassy clearing, though related spellings can blur the line with Greenlees and other forms. The historical evidence provided here does not give a full dictionary derivation, so the safest explanation is that it belongs to the family of topographic or locational surnames built from "green."
History
The form appears in historical lists alongside Greenlees and other similar names, suggesting close spelling and family-name overlap in Scots or northern British usage. In the United States, Greenlee is established but relatively uncommon, which fits a surname that likely entered from British or Scottish lines and then spread through later migration. The provided sources do not supply a detailed bearer history, so the broader pattern is all that can be stated confidently.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Greenlee and Greenlees are close enough in old records that they can sometimes be difficult to separate without local family evidence.
From the historical record
“Greenlees. Greenlee. Grinlee. Grinlees. Greer.”
— Varieties and Synonymes of Surnames and Christian Names in Ireland