Russell

“Red-haired” — Old French origin

Boy's name · #345 in the US (2025) · Timeless

Russell holds its lane: charted since 1880 and rarely far from where it stands today (#345 in 2025). About 360,000 boys have carried it along the way. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records. Russ is a short form of Russell.

Around the world: about 1 in 1,700 boys in Canada (2024) · about 1 in 3,900 boys in Scotland (2025) · about 1 in 8,500 boys in England & Wales (2025).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 44 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Russells

Russell Crowe — New Zealand actor
Russell Alan Hulse — American astronomer
Russell Westbrook — American basketball player
Russell Brand — English comedian, actor, and podcaster (born 1975)
Russell Tovey — British actor

In stories & tradition

Russell — Up
Russell Lightbourne — The 100
Russell Taylor — television character

What Russells become

Among 1,521 notable people named Russell:

Sports figures appear 1.32× more often than among typical names — e.g. Russell Westbrook, American basketball player.

Similar names: Francis · Rudy · Lawrence · Manuel · Raymond · Noel

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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