Russel is a boy name with a classic feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Russel means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Russel across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Russel has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Russel is a boy name of Old French origin meaning “little red one, red-haired”. A variant spelling of Russell, from a Norman nickname.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 16,622 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 39 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 16 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Russel per year, United States (1880 to 2025). United States peaked in 1920 (394/yr) · Scotland peaked in 1980 (5/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 1997 (4/yr).
Russel has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1920, when it ranked #608 nationally (given to 394 babies that year).
Russell · Roswell · Rosell · Raizel · Raziel · Russella · Rasool · Rosswell
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