Boys' name · peaked in 1914
Russell name popularity since 1925
308,383 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named Russell. Half of them were born in 1960 or earlier, so the typical Russell is about 66 years old in 2026. Russell peaked in 1914 as the #49 name for boys, and it ranked #345 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 308,383
- Named Russell, 1925–2025
- Peak year
- 1914
- #49 for boys that year
- In 2025
- #345
- for boys in 2025 (944 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.6% boys
- 1,363 girls · 307,020 boys
- Most popular in
- Montana
- 1.96× its national share
Peak year is the year Russell made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
Russell births per year, 1925–2025
The biggest year on this chart was 1960. Measured as a share of all babies, Russell peaked earlier, in 1914.
- Steepest fall: Between 1990 and 1995, Russell's share of baby boys fell by 41%, from 1 in 929 to 1 in 1,580.
Shaded on the chart. This compares Russell's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named Russell.
Decade by decade
Babies named Russell in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 128 | 17,645 | – |
| 1930s | 165 | 28,840 | #68 |
| 1940s | 160 | 41,336 | #64 |
| 1950s | 183 | 62,406 | #57 |
| 1960s | 240 | 60,447 | #58 |
| 1970s | 226 | 35,469 | #82 |
| 1980s | 215 | 26,651 | #110 |
| 1990s | 36 | 13,740 | #240 |
| 2000s | 10 | 7,792 | #393 |
| 2010s | 0 | 7,409 | #403 |
| 2020–25 | 0 | 5,285 | #345 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
38.2% of babies named Russell from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Baby Boom years (1946–1964). The full split by generation:
Where Russell is most popular
The index compares Russell's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named Russell.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Montana | 1.96× | 1,771 |
| Rhode Island | 1.77× | 1,944 |
| Hawaii | 1.72× | 1,666 |
| West Virginia | 1.62× | 4,400 |
| Wyoming | 1.61× | 674 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like Russell and were given to at least 1,000 boys from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Boys | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| Russell (this page) | 307,020 | 1914 |
| Russel | 12,008 | 1913 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 499 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to Russell's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is Russell.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of Russell (1914).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data