Russell

Russell: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning
“little red-haired one”
Origin
French
Say it
RUS-əl · 2 syllables
Used for
Boys

From an Anglo-Norman surname derived from Old French roussel, a diminutive of rous, 'red.' It began as a nickname and later became a given name.

How popular is Russell?

2024268 per million US babies
1880192019602000
Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Babies named Russell in 2024892

2024 rank#367 boys

Peak year1914

Total US babies since 1880360,516

Russell is steady now but far below its 1914 peak.

Names like Russell

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

  • Rustyred-haired · English
  • Russellittle red-haired one · French
  • Russred-haired · English
  • Oliverolive tree · French
  • Beauhandsome · French
  • Calvinbald · French
  • Louisfamous warrior · French
  • Granttall; large · French

Russell questions

What does the name Russell mean?

Russell means "little red-haired one". It comes from French. From an Anglo-Norman surname derived from Old French roussel, a diminutive of rous, 'red.' It began as a nickname and later became a given name.

Is Russell a boy or girl name?

Russell is mainly a boy's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Russell?

892 US babies were named Russell in 2024. Its peak year was 1914.

How do you pronounce Russell?

Russell is usually pronounced RUS-əl.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.