US rank #4415 Boys' name Peak 1920 16,584 births

Russel — #4415 US boys' name

16,584 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.

1880s731890s2221900s3521910s21811920s32881930s18351940s17411950s18021960s17301970s11681980s9141990s5502000s3552010s2612020s112
#4415
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 69% of names given to boys today.

1920s
Peak decade

20% of everyone ever named Russel was born in this single decade.

1920
Single peak year

389 babies were named Russel in 1920 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Russel

The Social Security Administration has registered 16,584 babies named Russel between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Russel currently holds the #4415 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1920, when 389 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Russel performed strongest in the 1920s, accumulating 3,288 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Russel shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in Pennsylvania, which accounts for 1,740 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Ohio and California. In total, SSA state-level files list Russel in 40 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Russel in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 16,584 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Russel at a glance

Outside the top 1,000

Total births

16,584

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1920

389 births that year

Strongest decade: 1920s

Current rank

#4,415

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Russel popularity over time — boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1920)
389
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-1000100200300400500 202420061988197019521934191618981880 8

Russel popularity over time — girls

12 total births recorded since 1920 (Russel as girls' name)

Unisex variant — 12 births
4.555.566.577.5 19241920 5

Russel by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1920s
Peak decade
1920s
3,288 births that decade — 20% of Russel's all-time total
1880s731890s2221900s3521910s21811920s32881930s18351940s17411950s18021960s17301970s11681980s9141990s5502000s3552010s2612020s112

Russel by state

Where Russel concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Russel
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
850 5.1%
#5 Michigan
807 4.9%
#6 New York
587 3.5%
#7 Texas
488 2.9%
#8 Wisconsin
475 2.9%
Pennsylvania share of Russel's total US births 10.5%
Even split

1,740 of 16,584 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?
16,584 babies have been named Russel since 1880. It currently ranks #4415 among boys. The peak year was 1920 with 389 births.
When was Russel most popular?
Russel was most popular in the 1920s decade with 3,288 total births. The single peak year was 1920.
Where is Russel most popular?
The top states for the name Russel are Pennsylvania (1,740 births), Ohio (917 births), California (876 births).
How long has the name Russel been used?
Russel has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Russel?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Russell, Rusty, Russ, Rush, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

Keep exploring Russel

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.