How Many People Are Named Russell?
An estimated 220,395 people in the United States have the first name Russell. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #242 overall. It is predominantly male (99.5%). The average bearer is 57 years old, and Russell peaked in popularity in 1960 with 7,505 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Russell as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Russell paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Russell is overwhelmingly male, 1,696 female births have been registered with this name since 1880.
Estimated Living Americans
220,395
About 1 in 1,555 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Common
Predicted Gender
Male
99.5% confidence
Average Age
57
years old
Peak Year
1960
7,505 births
Total Registered
360,516
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Russell
Russell is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 360,516 total births registered, 99.5% were male.
Russell as a male name
Ranked #367 in 2024
892 male births in 2024
Peak: 1960 (7,482 births)
Russell as a female name
Ranked #10,528 in 2004
10 female births in 2004
Peak: 1920 (33 births)
Russell: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Russell span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1950s, when 62,584 babies were registered. Russell has declined significantly from its peak in the 1950s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Russell by Decade
How has Russell tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 1,023 | 1,023 | 0 | |
| 1890s | 2,799 | 2,780 | 19 | |
| 1900s | 4,588 | 4,552 | 36 | |
| 1910s | 24,984 | 24,842 | 142 | |
| 1920s | 37,472 | 37,208 | 264 | |
| 1930s | 29,005 | 28,840 | 165 | |
| 1940s | 41,495 | 41,335 | 160 | |
| 1950s | 62,584 | 62,401 | 183 | |
| 1960s | 60,687 | 60,447 | 240 | |
| 1970s | 35,694 | 35,468 | 226 | |
| 1980s | 26,868 | 26,653 | 215 | |
| 1990s | 13,777 | 13,741 | 36 | |
| 2000s | 7,800 | 7,790 | 10 | |
| 2010s | 7,407 | 7,407 | 0 | |
| 2020s | 4,333 | 4,333 | 0 | |
Russell by State
Birth registrations for Russell span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, Pennsylvania, New York. The lowest are in Alaska, Delaware, Wyoming. On average, about 6,845 Russells were registered per state.
Russell + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Russell as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Russell
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
Russell: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Russell?
We estimate approximately 220,395 people named Russell are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 1,555 Americans share this first name.
Is Russell a common name?
Russell is classified as "Common" and is more popular than 99.8% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 360,516 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Russell most popular?
Russell reached peak popularity in 1960, when 7,505 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Russell is approximately 57 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Russell a male name?
Russell is predominantly male. 99.5% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Russell Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Russell Smith, Russell Johnson, Russell Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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