Boys' name · since 1898
Russ
6,131 babies named Russ in U.S. Social Security records since 1898, with the highest year being 1959. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1,564 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #4,867 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 6,131
- born since 1898
- 1960s
- peak decade
6,131 babies have been named Russ since 1898, making it today's #4867 boys' name.
Russ has 6,131 recorded births among boys since 1898, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #4867 as of the latest data, more common than 65% of boys, busiest in the 1960s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1898 to 2025.
- #1,564 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #4,867 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 6,131 born since 1898
- 1960s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Russ ranks #1,564 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #4,867 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 6,131 born since 1898, peaking in the 1960s.
- #1,564 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #4,867 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 6,131
- born since 1898
- 1960s
- peak decade
Russ's 6,131 recorded births place it above 96.56% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
37 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Russ compares
6,131 Top 11% higher than 89% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Russ's all-time total is 17x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Russ | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 6,131 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 350 | 34 | 22,252 |
Russ's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Russ's SSA record in two at 1968 and the more recent half accounts for 29% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 71%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 1901, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1959 peak of 350, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Russ popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1898–2025
- Peak year (1959)
- 350
- Annual births at peak, across 128 years of records
Russ by decade
1960s is the heaviest window (2,217 births, 36% of the file).
1960s was Russ's strongest decade.
2,217 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 36% of all-time use.
Russ births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1890s 6
1890s
6 births
- 1900s 5
1900s
5 births
- 1910s 66
1910s
66 births
- 1920s 106
1920s
106 births
- 1930s 173
1930s
173 births
- 1940s 624
1940s
624 births
- 1950s
1950s
1,415 births
- 1960s
1960s
2,217 births
- 1970s 673
1970s
673 births
- 1980s 405
1980s
405 births
- 1990s 171
1990s
171 births
- 2000s 70
2000s
70 births
- 2010s 89
2010s
89 births
- 2020s 111
2020s
111 births
What this shows Peak: 1960s at 2,217 births (36% of all-time use).
How Russ compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Russ's total volume
Russ by state
Where Russ concentrates geographically, total births since 1898
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 697 | 11.4% |
| #2 | New York | | 306 | 5.0% |
| #3 | Michigan | | 228 | 3.7% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 207 | 3.4% |
| #5 | Texas | | 207 | 3.4% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 206 | 3.4% |
| #7 | Washington | | 144 | 2.3% |
| #8 | Wisconsin | | 114 | 1.9% |
697 of 6,131 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 37 reporting states.
Russ appears in 37 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Russ? ▼
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When was Russ most popular? ▼
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What to do with Russ's data
- Russ's decade-level peak was the 1960s (2,217 total births); usage has since declined to 111 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Russs (697 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Russ
Nearby Names Like Russ
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Russ
Compare Russ side by side: Russ vs Russell Russ vs Rusty Russ vs Russel
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Russ
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Russ: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1959)
Similar record span (~127 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1898–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Russ draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.