People With Last Name Russell

The surname Russell, along with its variations such as Rosel, Rousel, Roussel, Russel, or Rossell, has origins that are debated among historians. One theory suggests an Anglo-Norman toponymic origin from the place Rosel in Calvados, Normandy. However, this is contested by the argument that the name more likely derives from an Anglo-Norman nickname, 'rus[s]el', used for individuals with red hair. This nickname is a diminutive of the Norman-French word 'rus', meaning 'red', and is linked to the Old Norse 'rossel', which also refers to red hair. Thus, the prevailing scholarly consensus is that Russell is a nickname-based surname rather than a territorial one.

With a rank of #104, Russell is a widely known last name in the U.S., associated with around 221558 individuals — or 75 per 100,000 people.

Our database contains over 192243 people with the last name Russell. This surname is most commonly found in Texas, Florida, Georgia. We have over 127 unique first names combined with the last name Russell in our records. The most frequent first names associated with this surname are James, Michael, Robert.