Boys' name · since 1880
Russel
16,610 babies named Russel in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1920. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #914 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #3,957 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 16,610
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Russel currently ranks #3957 among boys' names in America, with 16,610 babies recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Russel recorded 16,610 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #3957 nationally today, ahead of 72% of boys, peaking in the 1920s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #914 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #3,957 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 16,610 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Russel ranks #914 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #3,957 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 16,610 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #914 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #3,957 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 16,610
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Russel's 16,610 recorded births place it above 97.99% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
40 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Pennsylvania.
How Russel compares
16,610 Top 7% higher than 93% 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
Russel's all-time total is 45x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Russel | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 16,610 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 389 | 34 | 22,252 |
Russel's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Russel's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 39% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 61%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 1882, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1920 peak of 389, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Russel popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1920)
- 389
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Russel popularity over time - girls
12 total births recorded since 1920 (Russel as girls' name)
Russel by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (3,288 births, 20% of the file).
1920s was Russel's strongest decade.
3,288 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 20% of all-time use.
Russel births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 73
1880s
73 births
- 1890s 222
1890s
222 births
- 1900s 352
1900s
352 births
- 1910s
1910s
2,181 births
- 1920s
1920s
3,288 births
- 1930s
1930s
1,835 births
- 1940s
1940s
1,741 births
- 1950s
1950s
1,802 births
- 1960s
1960s
1,729 births
- 1970s 1,168
1970s
1,168 births
- 1980s 914
1980s
914 births
- 1990s 550
1990s
550 births
- 2000s 355
2000s
355 births
- 2010s 261
2010s
261 births
- 2020s 139
2020s
139 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 3,288 births (20% of all-time use).
How Russel 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 Russel's total volume
Russel by state
Where Russel concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Pennsylvania | | 1,740 | 10.5% |
| #2 | Ohio | | 917 | 5.5% |
| #3 | California | | 876 | 5.3% |
| #4 | Illinois | | 849 | 5.1% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 807 | 4.9% |
| #6 | New York | | 587 | 3.5% |
| #7 | Texas | | 488 | 2.9% |
| #8 | Wisconsin | | 475 | 2.9% |
1,740 of 16,610 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 40 reporting states.
Russel appears in 40 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Russel? ▼
Where does Russel sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Russel most popular? ▼
Where is Russel most popular? ▼
How long has the name Russel been used? ▼
What names are similar to Russel? ▼
What to do with Russel's data
- Russel's decade-level peak was the 1920s (3,288 total births); usage has since declined to 139 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Pennsylvania records the most Russels (1,740 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Pennsylvania names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Russel
Nearby Names Like Russel
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Russel
Compare Russel side by side: Russel vs Russell Russel vs Rusty Russel vs Russ
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Russel
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Russel: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1920)
Similar record span (~145 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, 1880–2025 (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 Russel 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.