Masterpiece Generator Name Generator
How popular is the name Russell?
Births per year, rank history and how many Russells are alive today.
Russell (male), once a common boys' name, is now an uncommon choice for new babies in England and Wales, ranked 953rd in 2025 with 32 given the name. The name peaked in 1964, when around 1,900 babies were given the name, the 55th most popular that year. It has declined since 1964; the 2025 figure is roughly 2% of its peak. Numbers have been stable in recent years. At least 36,000 babies have been named Russell in England and Wales since 1964. Figures before 1996 are estimates.
The Russell you are most likely to meet is around 61 years old. Half of all Russells born in England and Wales are between 45 and 62, and there are at least 46,000 of them alive today. If you walk into a room of 100 males, there's roughly a 14% chance that at least one of them will be called Russell.
How many babies are named Russell each year?
Where does Russell rank among boys' names?
Where this data comes from
Figures from 1996 onwards are the Office for National Statistics' annual baby-name registrations for England and Wales, which record every name given to three or more babies in a year. Figures before 1996 are estimates: the ONS published only top-100 rankings at ten-year intervals back to 1904, so counts for those years are modelled from the rankings, calibrated against Douglas Galbi's long-run research into English name frequencies, and shown with an uncertainty band. Estimates of living bearers combine these birth figures with national life tables and ONS mid-year population estimates.
One limit worth naming: these figures count names as registered at birth. Anyone who changes their name later in life - including trans people, and anyone who adopts a different name by deed poll or simply by use - is not reflected here. Birth registrations record where a name began, not the name a person lives with.
Common questions
When was the name Russell most popular?
Russell peaked in 1964, when around 1,900 babies in England and Wales were given the name.
How many people are called Russell?
At least 46,000 people named Russell born in England and Wales are alive today.
How old is the typical Russell?
Most living Russells are between 45 and 62; the most common age is about 61.
Is Russell becoming more or less popular?
Well past its peak: today's figures are a fraction of the 1964 peak, though numbers have levelled off in recent years.