Russell
A Norman French surname, rousel, “little red one.”
Popularity, 1880–2025
Russell appears in the national records from the very first year, 1880. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American boys in every year from 1889 to 1982. Its biggest year was 1960, when 7,487 newborn boys received the name, ranking it No. 56 nationally. Its best ranking came in 1904, at No. 48. In 2025 it ranked No. 345 for boys. All told, 361,476 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Russel (16,622) (total births since 1880)
Explore Russell interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 1,023 | No. 89 |
| 1890s | 2,780 | No. 56 |
| 1900s | 4,552 | No. 48 |
| 1910s | 24,842 | No. 49 |
| 1920s | 37,208 | No. 49 |
| 1930s | 28,840 | No. 60 |
| 1940s | 41,336 | No. 63 |
| 1950s | 62,406 | No. 52 |
| 1960s | 60,447 | No. 55 |
| 1970s | 35,469 | No. 58 |
| 1980s | 26,651 | No. 92 |
| 1990s | 13,740 | No. 142 |
| 2000s | 7,792 | No. 307 |
| 2010s | 7,409 | No. 391 |
| 2020s | 5,285 | No. 345 |
Births and rank shown for boys, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
🍼 Enjoying this? Buy my baby a diaper
Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.