Russell

Where Russell comes from

Inherited from Middle English Russel, from Anglo-Norman Russel. Doublet of Rousseau/Roussel. Equivalent to russel.
— Wiktionary's entry for Russell
  • 2 syllables
Along the way
  1. 1880
    First SSA year
    Already #196 among boys — 62 babies in the first year on record.
  2. 1904
    Peak, #48
    473 babies named Russell — more than any year before or since.
  3. 1950
    Russell A. Hulse born
    American astronomer
  4. 1964
    Russell Crowe born
    New Zealand actor
In the dictionary
  • A male given name transferred from the surname; diminutive form Russ.
Namesakes
  • Russell Crowe · New Zealand actor, born 1964
  • Russell A. Hulse · American astronomer, born 1950
  • Russell Westbrook · American basketball player, born 1988
  • Russell Tovey · British actor, born 1981
  • Russell Means · Oglala Lakota activist for the rights of Native American people, 1939–2012

Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record.