# Russell (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/russell/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | Norman |
| Meaning | not recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɹʌsəl/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | Russ |
| Variant spellings | Roussel, Rowsell, Russel |
| US babies named this | 361,476 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 359,780 / 1,696 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 1,213, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

Inherited from Middle English Russel, from Anglo-Norman Russel. Doublet of Rousseau/Roussel. Equivalent to russel.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 25 | 3,309 |
| 1980 | 30 | 2,985 |
| 1981 | 31 | 2,905 |
| 1982 | 31 | 2,937 |
| 1983 | 33 | 2,713 |
| 1984 | 24 | 3,501 |
| 1985 | 7 | 9,060 |
| 1986 | 20 | 4,158 |
| 1987 | 19 | 4,432 |
| 1988 | 10 | 7,554 |
| 1989 | 10 | 7,903 |
| 1991 | 14 | 6,509 |
| 1993 | 11 | 7,936 |
| 1996 | 11 | 8,000 |
| 2004 | 10 | 10,529 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 707 | 402 |
| 2012 | 657 | 426 |
| 2013 | 672 | 433 |
| 2014 | 757 | 410 |
| 2015 | 769 | 403 |
| 2016 | 785 | 407 |
| 2017 | 790 | 404 |
| 2018 | 769 | 413 |
| 2019 | 804 | 391 |
| 2020 | 842 | 370 |
| 2021 | 919 | 355 |
| 2022 | 868 | 373 |
| 2023 | 815 | 393 |
| 2024 | 897 | 367 |
| 2025 | 944 | 345 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 34 | 852 |
| 2012 | 35 | 866 |
| 2013 | 25 | 1,063 |
| 2014 | 30 | 959 |
| 2015 | 33 | 903 |
| 2016 | 23 | 1,187 |
| 2017 | 21 | 1,247 |
| 2018 | 19 | 1,324 |
| 2019 | 18 | 1,369 |
| 2020 | 23 | 1,150 |
| 2021 | 28 | 1,023 |
| 2022 | 21 | 1,268 |
| 2023 | 29 | 1,018 |
| 2024 | 18 | 1,460 |
| 2025 | 32 | 953 |

## People named Russell

- Russell A. Hulse, American astronomer
- Russell Westbrook, American basketball player (born 1988)
- James Russell Lowell, American poet, critic, editor, and diplomat (1819-1891)
- John Russell Hind, English astronomer
- Russell Tovey, British actor
- Taylor Russell, Canadian actress
- Leon Russell, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, pianist and session musician
- Russell Peters, Canadian comedian, actor
- Russell Kirk, American political theorist, moralist, historian, social critic, literary critic, and writ
- Russell Mulcahy, Australian film director
- Russell Wong, American actor (born 1963)
- Frederick Russell Burnham, father of scouting; military scout; soldier of fortune; oil man; writer; rancher (1861–194

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.