US rank #367 Boys' name Peak 1960 358,820 births

Russell — #367 US boys' name

358,820 babies named Russell in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1960. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s10231890s27801900s45521910s248421920s372081930s288401940s413351950s624011960s604471970s354681980s266531990s137412000s77902010s74072020s4333
#367
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 97% of names given to boys today.

1950s
Peak decade

17% of everyone ever named Russell was born in this single decade.

1960
Single peak year

7,482 babies were named Russell in 1960 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Russell

The Social Security Administration has registered 358,820 babies named Russell between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, Russell currently holds the #367 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1960, when 7,482 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Russell performed strongest in the 1950s, accumulating 62,401 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, Russell shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in California, which accounts for 24,996 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by Pennsylvania and New York. In total, SSA state-level files list Russell in 51 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Russell 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 358,820 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.

Russell at a glance

Top 1,000 boys' name

Total births

358,820

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

1960

7,482 births that year

Strongest decade: 1950s

Current rank

#367

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

Russell popularity over time — boys

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

Top 1,000 boys' name
Peak year (1960)
7,482
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-2,00002,0004,0006,0008,000 202420051986196719481929191018911880 62

Russell popularity over time — girls

1,696 total births recorded since 1892 (Russell as girls' name)

Unisex variant — 1,696 births
010203040 200419811969195719451933192119081892 5

Russell by decade

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

Peak: 1950s
Peak decade
1950s
62,401 births that decade — 17% of Russell's all-time total
1880s10231890s27801900s45521910s248421920s372081930s288401940s413351950s624011960s604471970s354681980s266531990s137412000s77902010s74072020s4333

Russell by state

Where Russell concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Russell
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
24,996 7.0%
#2 Pennsylvania
22,779 6.3%
#3 New York
22,161 6.2%
#4 Ohio
19,967 5.6%
#5 Illinois
19,325 5.4%
#6 Texas
17,845 5.0%
#7 Michigan
16,240 4.5%
#8 Massachusetts
11,175 3.1%
California share of Russell's total US births 7.0%
Even split

24,996 of 358,820 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?
358,820 babies have been named Russell since 1880. It currently ranks #367 among boys. The peak year was 1960 with 7,482 births.
When was Russell most popular?
Russell was most popular in the 1950s decade with 62,401 total births. The single peak year was 1960.
Where is Russell most popular?
The top states for the name Russell are California (24,996 births), Pennsylvania (22,779 births), New York (22,161 births).
How long has the name Russell been used?
Russell has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Russell?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Rusty, Russel, Russ, Rush, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

Keep exploring Russell

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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.