Russell
Masculine · “little red one”
Russell is overwhelmingly a boys’ name — 359,780 boys against 1,696 girls since 1880. See Russell as a girl name
The philosopher who carried this name went to prison twice, forty-three years apart. The first time was in 1918, for an article about the war that the authorities read as an attack on the alliance; the second was in 1961, when he was eighty-nine, for refusing to be bound over after a sit-down protest against nuclear weapons.
How old is the name Russell?
Russell was already in use when US birth records began in 1880 — it is at least 145 years old. The typical Russell alive today was born around 1957, making them about 68 years old. About 212,000 people named Russell are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Russell most popular?
Russell peaked in 1904, reaching #48 nationally. Today it ranks #345, 297 places below that high. See the whole 1904 chart.
Where it comes from
From rous to Russell
The story of Russell
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. The language kept both and stopped noticing they were related, which is the usual fate of a word that goes into a name.
Meaning
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.
How the name formed
- rous
- Rousel
- Russell
Related forms: Roussel
Pronouncing 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.
Nicknames for Russell
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1880
- Most boys named
- 19607,487 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #48reached in 1904
- Change vs 2022
- +8.8%944 in 2025, from 868
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Russell in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Roussel in French — same name
Strongest US states over the last decade: California, Texas, New York.
Russells among us
people named Russell are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 1,809 born in 2025 was named Russell
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
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.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Russell is headed
Russell should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
High confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Russell beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Russell in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- 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.
- 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.
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What they receive
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Russell
Masculine · #345 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Russells are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 212,000 people named Russell are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Russell in 2025?
- Russell ranks #345 among US boy names in 2025, with 944 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Russell?
- About 1 in every 1,809 US boys born in 2025 was named Russell — 944 in all.
- Will my child share the name Russell with classmates?
- Russell will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Russell
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Wells#345 · Sterling#345 · Wade#344 · Colin#343 · Kade#348 · Jax#342 · Ezequiel#348 · Cairo#341
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Russell? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Russell and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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