Boy name · Old French
Russell
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: little red oneRussell is a boy's name that comes from Old French and means "little red one". It is used in English.
- Meaning
- Little red one
- Origin
- Old French
- Gender
- Boy
- US rank
- #345 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Russell
As a boy's name, Russell comes from Old French and means "little red one". It is used in English.
Russell is also a surname: the 108th most common in the 2020 US Census, held by 211,729 people. See the most common last names.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Russell on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Russell on 3 lists.
“Little red one; Old French, once a nickname for a redhead”
From Cute boy names, sweet vintage boy names
“Little red one; Old French. Russ for short”
From Old man names, grandpa names coming back for babies
“Old French for little red one”
From Orange cat names, names that mean red or fire
How popular is Russell?
- US rank in 2025
- #345
- 944 babies, 553 per million boys
- Best rank
- #48 in 1904
- Most babies: 7,487 in 1960
- Babies since 1880
- At least 359,780
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 934 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 2,437 per million |
| 1900s | 3,353 per million |
| 1910s | 3,722 per million |
| 1920s | 3,377 per million |
| 1930s | 2,729 per million |
| 1940s | 2,777 per million |
| 1950s | 3,087 per million |
| 1960s | 3,138 per million |
| 1970s | 2,148 per million |
| 1980s | 1,444 per million |
| 1990s | 705 per million |
| 2000s | 390 per million |
| 2010s | 394 per million |
| 2020s | 510 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #407 | #404 | #413 | #391 | #370 | #355 | #373 | #393 | #367 | #345 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Names with a similar meaning
- RoryRed king (Irish Gaelic, boy)
- ReidRed-haired (Old English, boy)
- RowanLittle red one (Irish Gaelic, unisex)
- RoyRed (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- RufinaRed-haired (Latin, girl)
- AkaneDeep red, madder (Japanese, girl)
- CheyenneRed speakers (Lakota, girl)
- FlannBlood red (Irish Gaelic, boy)
- FlannaitLittle red one (Irish Gaelic, girl)
- FlannánLittle red one (Irish Gaelic, boy)
Middle names for Russell
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a shorter length, so the full name flows.
More boy names from Old French
- BellamyBeautiful friend (Old French, unisex)
- GrantGreat, large (Old French, boy)
- LyleIsland (Old French, boy)
- WallaceForeigner, Welshman (Old French, boy)
- AlgernonHaving a mustache (Old French, boy)
- ArcherBowman (Old French, boy)
- BaileySteward, bailiff (Old French, unisex)
- CorbinRaven (Old French, boy)
- CurtisCourteous (Old French, boy)
- DarrellFrom Airelle, a place in Normandy (Old French, boy)
Russell: common questions
What does the name Russell mean?
Russell comes from Old French and means "little red one".
Is Russell a boy or girl name?
Russell is mainly a boy's name.
Where does the name Russell come from?
Russell comes from Old French and means "little red one". Today it is used in English.
How popular is the name Russell?
Russell ranked #345 in the US in 2025, with 944 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What middle names go with Russell?
Middle names that flow well with Russell include Abel, Elton, Ezra, Glenn and James. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.