The Russell surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 221,558 people carried this name — #104 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 1,330 people counted. That is up 3% from 215,432 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Russell surname
An English, Scottish and Irish surname transferred from the nickname from the Norman nickname for someone with red hair.
Inherited from Middle English Russel, from Anglo-Norman Russel.
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Russell» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890
Ireland registered 101 births for the Russell name in 1890.
They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 4,500 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. 2 of them were indexed under other spellings of the name.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they were born, 1890
Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 252 people named Russell live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
119 people named Russell live in Switzerland.
They live in 11 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 112 people named Russell.
Most of them — 69 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 13 départements, most often Paris.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Poland’s population register
53 people named Russell have a registered home in Poland.
Of the 159 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 9 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Masovian.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.
In the Nordic population registers
183 people named Russell are counted in Sweden and Finland.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In print
Russell in American newspapers,
1885–1934.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 2,209,077 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Russell,
with a public archive behind them.
-
Edward Russell, 3rd Earl of Bedford 1572–1627 -
Francis Russell, 4th Earl of Bedford 1593–1641 · politician -
Wriothesley Russell, 2nd Duke of Bedford 1680–1711 -
Alexander Russell 1714–1768 · naturalist -
Francis Russell, 5th Duke of Bedford 1765–1802 · politician
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 147 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Russell.
- Rusek 401 · U.S. census
- Rusin 1,620 · U.S. census
- Russ 16,300 · U.S. census
- Russe 190 · U.S. census
- Russeau 391 · U.S. census
- Russel 4,195 · U.S. census
- Russello 303 · U.S. census
- Russo 48,696 · U.S. census
- Russon 419 · U.S. census
- Rust 12,086 · U.S. census
- Rustan 225 · U.S. census
- Ruster 197 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Russell is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.