boys' name ★ peaked 1960

Russell

Gender Boy Rank 2025 #345 Trend ↑ Rising 14%

Inherited from Middle English Russel, from Anglo-Norman Russel.

Rank 2025
#345
among boys · ↑22 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
944
named Russell · +5% vs 2024
How common
1 in 1,809
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1960
7,510 babies
All-time total
361,476
#96 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Russell popularity over time

361,476 babies have been named Russell since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
1.252.53.75518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 1,023 1,023 102 – #89
1890s 19 2,780 2,799 280 +174% #56
1900s 36 4,552 4,588 459 +64% #48
1910s 142 24,842 24,984 2,498 +445% #49
1920s 264 37,208 37,472 3,747 +50% #49
1930s 165 28,840 29,005 2,901 -23% #60
1940s 160 41,336 41,496 4,150 +43% #63
1950s 183 62,406 62,589 6,259 +51% #52
1960s 240 60,447 60,687 6,069 -3% #55
1970s 226 35,469 35,695 3,570 -41% #58
1980s 215 26,651 26,866 2,687 -25% #92
1990s 36 13,740 13,776 1,378 -49% #142
2000s 10 7,792 7,802 780 -43% #307
2010s – 7,409 7,409 741 -5% #391
2020s (to 2025) – 5,285 5,285 881 +19% #345

Where Russell is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 968 0.57 #341
2027 989 0.58 #338
2028 1,007 0.59 #336
2029 1,023 0.60 #332
2030 1,036 0.61 #328

Where Russell is most popular

Boys named Russell per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.514 per 1,000. Strongest in North Dakota, Idaho, and Utah.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Russell born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
North Dakota 26 1.52 +196%
Idaho 62 1.51 +195%
Utah 132 1.38 +169%
Maine 26 1.34 +160%
South Dakota 24 1.29 +151%
Minnesota 147 1.20 +133%
Oregon 82 1.08 +110%
Wyoming 6 1.04 +102%
Iowa 67 0.972 +89%
New Hampshire 20 0.901 +75%
Wisconsin 102 0.861 +67%
Connecticut 56 0.827 +61%
Massachusetts 109 0.793 +54%
Ohio 203 0.766 +49%
Virginia 142 0.748 +45%
Montana 13 0.737 +43%
Nebraska 32 0.736 +43%
Colorado 93 0.721 +40%
Pennsylvania 187 0.704 +37%
Indiana 112 0.698 +36%
Missouri 95 0.685 +33%
Maryland 80 0.671 +30%
Mississippi 38 0.669 +30%
South Carolina 69 0.668 +30%
Kentucky 67 0.668 +30%
Michigan 135 0.659 +28%
Kansas 45 0.656 +28%
Alabama 71 0.649 +26%
Washington 104 0.636 +24%
Tennessee 111 0.615 +20%
North Carolina 156 0.611 +19%
New Jersey 121 0.601 +17%
Illinois 151 0.591 +15%
Alaska 7 0.588 +14%
Oklahoma 50 0.565 +10%
Arizona 92 0.562 +9%
Louisiana 55 0.538 +5%
New Mexico 16 0.486 -6%
Georgia 121 0.478 -7%
California 414 0.453 -12%
New York 195 0.450 -12%
Arkansas 27 0.427 -17%
Texas 299 0.339 -34%
West Virginia 11 0.337 -35%
Nevada 19 0.333 -35%
Delaware 5 0.330 -36%
Florida 131 0.277 -46%
District of Columbia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Rhode Island – – –
Vermont – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Russell

Russell is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #345 in 2025 with 944 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 361,476 American babies have been named Russell. Its peak came in 1960, when 7,510 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1960s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Russell stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Russell?

The median living Russell is about 59 years old; half are between 44 and 69. An estimated 215 thousand people named Russell are alive in the United States today.

median 59 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Russell year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 944 #345
2024 – – 897 #367
2023 – – 815 #393
2022 – – 868 #373
2021 – – 919 #355
2020 – – 842 #370
2019 – – 804 #391
2018 – – 769 #413
2017 – – 790 #404
2016 – – 785 #407
2015 – – 769 #403
2014 – – 757 #410
2013 – – 672 #433
2012 – – 657 #426
2011 – – 707 #402
2010 – – 699 #405
2009 – – 646 #434
2008 – – 726 #407
2007 – – 712 #411
2006 – – 741 #403
2005 – – 731 #393
2004 10 #10,529 768 #363
2003 – – 811 #343
2002 – – 838 #327
2001 – – 925 #307
2000 – – 894 #320
1995 – – 1,205 #240
1990 – – 2,212 #142
1985 7 #9,060 2,571 #110
1980 30 #2,985 3,269 #92
1975 22 #3,232 3,232 #82
1970 26 #2,765 5,106 #58
1965 17 #3,132 5,645 #58
1960 23 #2,561 7,487 #56
1955 15 #3,073 6,539 #57
1950 18 #2,416 4,945 #67
1945 14 #2,431 3,806 #64
1940 13 #2,391 3,012 #72
1935 14 #2,287 2,833 #68
1930 27 #1,528 3,101 #60
1925 18 #2,179 3,804 #53
1920 33 #1,401 3,901 #51
1915 10 #2,866 3,250 #51
1910 – – 615 #58
1905 6 #1,894 432 #58
1900 – – 427 #62
1895 – – 300 #66
1890 – – 182 #95
1885 – – 94 #145
1880 – – 62 #197

Famous people named Russell

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Russell Crowe Russell Crowe New Zealand–born actor (born 1964) Contemporary
  2. 2 Russell Wilson Russell Wilson American football player (born 1988) Contemporary
  3. 3 Russell Brand Russell Brand English comedian, actor, and podcaster (born 1975) Contemporary
  4. 4 Russell Westbrook Russell Westbrook American basketball player (born 1988) Contemporary
  5. 5 Russell Martin Russell Martin Football player and manager (born 1986) Contemporary
  6. 6 Russell Tovey Russell Tovey English actor (born 1981) Contemporary
  7. 7 Russell Simmons Russell Simmons American entrepreneur and record executive b. 1957 · Contemporary
  8. 8 Russell T Davies Russell T Davies Welsh screenwriter and television producer (born 1963) Contemporary
  9. 9 Russell Peters Russell Peters Canadian comedian and actor (born 1970) Contemporary
  10. 10 Russell Means Russell Means Native American activist (1939–2012) Contemporary
  11. 11 Russell Johnson Russell Johnson American actor (1924–2014) Contemporary
  12. 12 Russell Hornsby Russell Hornsby American actor b. 1974 · Contemporary
  13. 13 Russell Wong Russell Wong American actor (born 1963) Contemporary
  14. 14 Russell Kirk Russell Kirk American political theorist and writer (1918–1994) Contemporary
  15. 15 Russell Mulcahy Australian director (b. 1953) Contemporary
  16. 16 Russell Carpenter American cinematographer (born 1950) Contemporary
  17. 17 Russell Banks Russell Banks American writer of fiction and poetry (1940–2023) Contemporary
  18. 18 Russell Latapy Trinidadian footballer (born 1968) Contemporary
  19. 19 Russell A. Alger Russell A. Alger American politician (1836–1907) 19th century
  20. 20 Russell Alan Hulse Russell Alan Hulse American physicist b. 1950 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Russell, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Russell?

The median living Russell is about 59 years old. Half of all living Russells are between 44 and 69 years old.

How many people named Russell are alive today?

An estimated 215 thousand people named Russell are alive in the United States, based on 361,476 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Russell mean?

Inherited from Middle English Russel, from Anglo-Norman Russel.

How popular is the name Russell in 2025?

Russell ranked #345 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 944 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Russell?

361,476 babies have been named Russell in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Russell most popular?

Russell peaked in 1960, when 7,510 newborns received the name.

Is Russell a boy or girl name?

Russell is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Russell rising or falling?

Russell is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Russell become more popular?

Russell is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 1,036 boys named Russell in 2030, which would rank around #328. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Russell?

Well-known people named Russell include Russell Crowe (actor), Russell Wilson (american football player), Russell Brand (actor).

Names like Russell

Names that sound and feel close to Russell: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Russell with similar names → More names starting with R →