The decision to rename the school follows last year's massacre in Charleston, South Carolina, in which 21-year-old white man Dylann Roof is suspected to have killed nine black people attending a church prayer meeting.

Roof's identification as a white supremacist, and his celebration of symbols including the Confederate flag, have sparked a national conversation over how Confederate leaders are regarded in contemporary public life.

Many cities have dismantled statues of Confederate leaders in recent months, and renamed streets and buildings named after Confederate figures.

New York Times columnist David Brooks, writing last June, said: "We should keep Lee’s name on institutions that reflect postwar service, like Washington and Lee University, where he was president. But we should remove Lee’s name from most schools, roads and other institutions, where the name could be seen as acceptance of what he did and stood for during the war ... This is not about rewriting history. It’s about shaping the culture going forward."

The 10 most-suggested new names for Robert E Lee Elementary

Donald J. Trump Elementary: 45 nominations Robert E. Lee Elementary: 34 nominations Russell Lee Elementary: 32 nominations Harper Lee Elementary: 30 nominations Elisabet Ney Elementary: 15 nominations Lee Elementary: 13 nominations Adolf Hitler School for Friendship and Tolerance: 8 nominations Waller Creek Elementary: 8 nominations Dr. Frances J. Nesmith Elementary School: 7 nominations Guy Bizzell Elementary: 6 nominations

Other notable suggations: Adam Lanza’s School of Fun, Bee Movie, Forgetting the Past Dooms You to Repeat It Elementary, and Hypothetical Perfect Person Memorial Elementary School.