Head to head · Boys' names
Russell vs Wells
#345 vs #345 in 2025
Russell and Wells share the same spot on the 2025 charts (#345). The records cannot split them; sound and story will.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Russell leads 3 measures of 6; Wells leads 1.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Russell #147, Wells #894 — Russell higher
- 1890s: Russell #71, Wells #1079 — Russell higher
- 1900s: Russell #55, Wells #1162 — Russell higher
- 1910s: Russell #52, Wells #1462 — Russell higher
- 1920s: Russell #53, Wells #1919 — Russell higher
- 1930s: Russell #67, Wells #2053 — Russell higher
- 1940s: Russell #69, Wells #2310 — Russell higher
- 1950s: Russell #62, Wells #2888 — Russell higher
- 1960s: Russell #57, Wells #3293 — Russell higher
- 1970s: Russell #80, Wells #3669 — Russell higher
- 1980s: Russell #111, Wells #5048 — Russell higher
- 1990s: Russell #232, Wells #5537 — Russell higher
- 2000s: Russell #370, Wells #5119 — Russell higher
- 2010s: Russell #409, Wells #1818 — Russell higher
- 2020s: Russell #367, Wells #444 — Russell higher
Russell stood higher in every recorded decade — 15 of 15.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Russell | Wells |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #147 | #894 |
| 1890s | #71 | #1079 |
| 1900s | #55 | #1162 |
| 1910s | #52 | #1462 |
| 1920s | #53 | #1919 |
| 1930s | #67 | #2053 |
| 1940s | #69 | #2310 |
| 1950s | #62 | #2888 |
| 1960s | #57 | #3293 |
| 1970s | #80 | #3669 |
| 1980s | #111 | #5048 |
| 1990s | #232 | #5537 |
| 2000s | #370 | #5119 |
| 2010s | #409 | #1818 |
| 2020s | #367 | #444 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Russell
little red one
From an Old French nickname about hair or complexion, with a diminutive ending. The sense is not disputed, and the name reached English as a surname before it was ever a given name.
rous → Rousel → Russell
How it traveled
The word underneath it is still in English, attached to apples and to autumn coats. Russet comes from the same Old French root — rous, meaning red or reddish-brown — by the same diminutive ending, so a russet apple and a person called Russell are carrying the identical word with the identical suffix, one describing fruit and the other describing hair.
Wells
springs, wells
From Old English wella/wiella, a spring or stream — a plural, meaning someone who lived where the springs were.
wella (Old English) → welle (Middle English) → Wells (English place name) → Wells (English surname) → Wells (given name)
How it traveled
The root is Old English wella, a spring of water, which became Middle English welle. Places built around such springs took the name — Wells in Somerset, England's smallest city, whose cathedral stands beside the springs of St Andrew, and Wells-next-the-Sea on the Norfolk coast.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Russell
RUSS-ul
Two syllables with the stress at the front. The second reduces to almost nothing, which is why the doubled l is never heard.
- Russ — The front alone; a standing name in its own right and completely established.
- Rusty — Built from the same root; warm, informal and older-sounding.
Wells
WELZ
One syllable, rhyming with bells. The final s is voiced, like a z. There is no second pronunciation to correct.
- Wellsy — Informal, the standard playground and teammate extension of a one-syllable surname; not used as a name on its own.
- Welly — Informal and affectionate, mostly within families; in British English it also means a rubber boot.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Russell if you want…
- a name holding steadyRussell is holding its place on the charts
- a name with more sound in itRussell runs 2 syllables, Wells 1
- a long American recordRussell was already in use when US records began in 1880
- a name that ages quietlyan estimated 12% chance of feeling dated by 2040, against 54% for Wells
Choose Wells if you want…
- a name on the way upup 200 places on the charts in five years
- a name with fewer syllablesWells is 1 syllable to Russell's 2
- a newer arrivalWells entered the US charts in 1881
- a name that feels very nowWells is climbing the charts fast
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Russell
Strengths
- It has been in continuous English use for centuries without ever going strange.
- Russ sits inside it as a completely established short form.
- The meaning is concrete and easy to explain.
To consider
- It is firmly associated with an older generation.
- The record holds girls as well, and the girl is much the smaller side.
- The meaning describes an appearance the child may not have.
Wells
Strengths
- One syllable, one obvious spelling: anyone who knows the English word can write it after hearing it once.
- No pronunciation ambiguity in English, and none of the stress questions that longer surname-names raise.
- A documented record stretching from Old English through medieval place and surname use to the present — it was a real name long before it was a baby name.
To consider
- The name already ends in s, which makes possessives and plurals fiddly for a lifetime — Wells's book, the Wells family. Not a problem, just a small recurring one.
- It shares its sound with the bank Wells Fargo and, in the singular, with wellness branding. Neither is an obstacle, but both come up.
- Very few adults carry it as a first name, so for now it is heard almost entirely on small children. That will change as this generation grows up, but early on it may need a sentence of explanation.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
How each is likely to age
Russell
12%chance Russell feels dated by 2040
Russell has held the top-100 across 9 different decades — it has never depended on fashion, and names like that read the same at any age.
Wells
54%chance Wells feels dated by 2040
Wells is climbing fast right now. Steep climbs tend to come with steep descents — the quicker a name arrives, the more firmly it belongs to its moment.
A reading of where each name sits on the long naming cycle — computed, not measured, and explained on the data page.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Russell and Wells in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Russell and Wells?
Put both to the vote.
One link to your partner, your parents, your sister. Each of them gets the two names, a one-tap answer and room to say why — and every reply lands in one place.
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More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists that carry both names
Every list here names both Russell and Wells — the same style, ranked by the same records.
Russell or Wells — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Russell or Wells?
- They tie in 2025: Russell ranked #345 with 944 babies; Wells ranked #345 with 944 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Russell or Wells?
- Wells. Over the last five years Russell moved up 25 places; Wells moved up 200 places.
- Which is the older name, Russell or Wells?
- Russell was already in use when US records began in 1880; Wells entered the US charts in 1881. On the American record, Russell is the older name.
- How many people are named Russell and Wells?
- About 212,000 people named Russell are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 6,400 people named Wells are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Russells or Wellss in the classroom?
- Russell will almost certainly be the only one in school. Wells will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
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