Boys' name · since 1880
Russell
Russell has 359,780 recorded births since 1880 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1960 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #96 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #345 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 359,780
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
Russell currently ranks #345 among boys' names in America, with 359,780 babies recorded since 1880.
Russell has 359,780 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #345 as of the latest data, more common than 98% of boys, busiest in the 1950s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #96 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #345 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 359,780 born since 1880
- 1950s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Russell ranks #96 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #345 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 359,780 born since 1880, peaking in the 1950s.
- #96 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #345 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 359,780
- born since 1880
- 1950s
- peak decade
Russell's 359,780 recorded births place it above 99.78% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Russell compares
359,780 Top 1% higher than 99% 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
Russell's all-time total is 975x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Russell | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 359,780 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 7,487 | 34 | 22,252 |
Russell's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Russell's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 57% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 43%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1880, with only 62 births recorded -- set against the 1960 peak of 7,487, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Russell popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1960)
- 7,487
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Russell popularity over time - girls
1,696 total births recorded since 1892 (Russell as girls' name)
Russell by decade
1950s is the heaviest window (62,406 births, 17% of the file).
1950s was Russell's strongest decade.
62,406 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.
Russell births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 1,023
1880s
1,023 births
- 1890s 2,780
1890s
2,780 births
- 1900s 4,552
1900s
4,552 births
- 1910s 24,842
1910s
24,842 births
- 1920s
1920s
37,208 births
- 1930s
1930s
28,840 births
- 1940s
1940s
41,336 births
- 1950s
1950s
62,406 births
- 1960s
1960s
60,447 births
- 1970s
1970s
35,469 births
- 1980s
1980s
26,651 births
- 1990s 13,740
1990s
13,740 births
- 2000s 7,792
2000s
7,792 births
- 2010s 7,409
2010s
7,409 births
- 2020s 5,285
2020s
5,285 births
What this shows Peak: 1950s at 62,406 births (17% of all-time use).
How Russell 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 Russell's total volume
Russell by state
Where Russell concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 25,083 | 7.0% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 22,813 | 6.3% |
| #3 | New York | | 22,196 | 6.2% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 20,019 | 5.6% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 19,356 | 5.4% |
| #6 | Texas | | 17,892 | 5.0% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 16,261 | 4.5% |
| #8 | Massachusetts | | 11,190 | 3.1% |
25,083 of 359,780 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Russell appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Russell? ▼
Where does Russell sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Russell most popular? ▼
Where is Russell most popular? ▼
How long has the name Russell been used? ▼
What names are similar to Russell? ▼
What to do with Russell's data
- Russell's decade-level peak was the 1950s (62,406 total births); usage has since declined to 5,285 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Russells (25,083 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 Russell
Nearby Names Like Russell
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Russell
Compare Russell side by side: Russell vs Rusty Russell vs Russel Russell vs Russ
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Russell
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Russell: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1960)
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 Russell 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.