Russell is a male given name of Welsh origin, derived from the word "rhos" meaning moor or heath, and "y" meaning "of". Therefore, Russell translates to "little red one", referring to someone with red hair who lives on a moor.
The name Russell has been in use since the Middle Ages and was first recorded in England during this period. It was traditionally given as a surname before being adopted as a given name in the 19th century.
Some notable individuals with the name Russell include actors Kurt Russell and Sean Russell, musician Tom Russell, and former U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's wife, Eleanor Roosevelt (née Anna Eleanor Roosevelt).
In literature, the name Russell is also present, notably in characters such as Detective Inspector Russell from P.D. James' Adam Dalgliesh series, and Dr. Russell from Stephen King's "The Green Mile".
Overall, Russell is a strong and distinctive name with a long history and various notable bearers throughout different fields.
Based on the provided statistics, the name Russel experienced significant fluctuations in popularity over time. From 1880 to around 1970, there was a consistent increase in births registered with this name, peaking in 1971 with 176 births. However, since then, its popularity has steadily declined. The most recent data from 2022 shows only 14 births with the name Russel, indicating that it is now considerably less common than it was a century ago. Overall, there have been a total of 16560 births with this name between 1880 and 2023.