NameCensus.

UK surname

Russell

An English surname derived from a Norman French nickname meaning "little red one," referring to someone with red hair.

In the 1881 census there were 36,592 people recorded with the Russell surname, ranking it #84 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 55,174, also still ranked #84.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Govan Combination and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Mendip, Stonehouse and Biggar, Symington, Thankerton and Dolphinton.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Russell is 56,834 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 50.8%.

1881 census count

36,592

Ranked #84

Modern count

55,174

2016, ranked #84

Peak year

1999

56,834 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Russell had 36,592 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #84 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 55,174 in 2016, ranked #84.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 47,067 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Russell surname distribution map

The map shows where the Russell surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Russell surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Russell over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 21,950 #96
1861 historical 23,122 #91
1881 historical 36,592 #84
1891 historical 39,761 #79
1901 historical 47,067 #81
1911 historical 38,522 #94
1997 modern 54,661 #78
1998 modern 56,625 #79
1999 modern 56,834 #79
2000 modern 56,438 #79
2001 modern 54,713 #79
2002 modern 56,023 #79
2003 modern 54,451 #79
2004 modern 54,424 #80
2005 modern 53,592 #81
2006 modern 53,497 #83
2007 modern 54,090 #84
2008 modern 54,402 #85
2009 modern 55,566 #85
2010 modern 56,531 #85
2011 modern 55,620 #85
2012 modern 54,338 #85
2013 modern 55,458 #85
2014 modern 55,995 #85
2015 modern 55,412 #84
2016 modern 55,174 #84

Geography

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Where Russells are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Govan Combination, Edinburgh and Lambeth. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Mendip, Stonehouse, Biggar, Symington, Thankerton and Dolphinton, King's Lynn and West Norfolk and Deans Village. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 Govan Combination Lanark
4 Edinburgh Edinburgh
5 Lambeth London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Mendip 014 Mendip
2 Stonehouse South Lanarkshire
3 Biggar, Symington, Thankerton and Dolphinton South Lanarkshire
4 King's Lynn and West Norfolk 011 King's Lynn and West Norfolk
5 Deans Village City of Edinburgh

Forenames

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First names often paired with Russell

These lists show first names that appear often with the Russell surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Russell

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Russell, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Ageing Communities

Nationally, the Russell surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ageing Communities, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Russell household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Russell is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Russell is most concentrated in decile 3 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

3
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Russell falls in decile 5 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Russell is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Russell, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Russell

The surname Russell is of Norman French origin, derived from the Old French words "roussel" or "rousseau", meaning "red-haired" or "reddish-brown". This nickname likely described the distinctive physical appearance of an early bearer of the name. The surname originated in Normandy, northern France, in the 11th century.

The Russell name is first recorded in England in the Domesday Book of 1086, which documents a landowner named Ralph Russel who held estates in Yorkshire and Norfolk. This suggests that the Russell family arrived in England shortly after the Norman Conquest of 1066.

During the Middle Ages, the Russell surname spread across England, with various spellings such as Russel, Russelle, and Roussel. Notable early bearers of the name include Sir James Russell (c. 1315-1371), a military commander who fought in the Hundred Years' War, and Sir John Russell (1442-1505), a prominent courtier and politician under King Henry VII.

In the 16th century, the Russell family gained prominence as one of the leading noble families in England. Lord John Russell (1486-1555) was created Earl of Bedford in 1550, and his descendants held the earldom for centuries. The Russell family also produced several notable figures, including William Russell (1639-1683), a Whig politician executed for his involvement in the Rye House Plot against King Charles II, and John Russell (1792-1878), a Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the 19th century.

Other famous individuals with the Russell surname include Bertrand Russell (1872-1970), a British philosopher and Nobel laureate; Bill Russell (1934-2022), an American basketball player and coach; and Kurt Russell (born 1951), an American actor known for films like "Escape from New York" and "The Hateful Eight".

In Scotland, the Russell name is associated with the Clan Russell, a Highland clan that traces its origins to the 12th century. The clan's ancestral lands were in Aberdeenshire, and their chiefly line descends from John Russell, who received a charter for the lands of Leden in 1293.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Russell families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Russell surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lanarkshire leads with 4,360 Russells recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.78x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 4,360 3.78x
Middlesex 3,661 1.03x
Kent 2,613 2.15x
Surrey 2,321 1.34x
Lancashire 2,105 0.50x
Yorkshire 1,912 0.54x
Hampshire 1,346 1.84x
Sussex 1,258 2.09x
Warwickshire 1,233 1.37x
Staffordshire 1,086 0.90x
Midlothian 964 2.02x
Somerset 713 1.24x
Gloucestershire 688 0.98x
Renfrewshire 672 2.43x
Durham 669 0.63x
Fife 656 3.11x
Worcestershire 521 1.12x
Stirlingshire 480 3.65x
Dorset 439 1.88x
Essex 437 0.62x
Northumberland 419 0.79x
Ayrshire 387 1.45x
Northamptonshire 383 1.14x
West Lothian 379 7.06x
Devon 374 0.50x
Leicestershire 361 0.91x
Lincolnshire 346 0.61x
Glamorgan 314 0.51x
Norfolk 300 0.55x
Cheshire 284 0.36x
Angus 253 0.77x
Cambridgeshire 245 1.08x
Shropshire 232 0.75x
Morayshire 222 4.01x
Wiltshire 218 0.69x
Berkshire 217 0.81x
Derbyshire 210 0.38x
Buckinghamshire 207 0.96x
Aberdeenshire 198 0.60x
Dunbartonshire 192 2.00x
Oxfordshire 186 0.84x
Nottinghamshire 158 0.33x
Banffshire 155 2.10x
Perthshire 150 0.94x
Cumberland 137 0.45x
Monmouthshire 134 0.52x
Herefordshire 130 0.89x
Cornwall 128 0.32x
Hertfordshire 115 0.47x
Dumfriesshire 103 1.31x
Bedfordshire 102 0.55x
Argyllshire 93 0.94x
Clackmannanshire 93 3.16x
Suffolk 92 0.21x
Orkney 59 1.50x
Peeblesshire 56 3.34x
Roxburghshire 56 0.87x
Huntingdonshire 53 0.75x
East Lothian 52 1.10x
Royal Navy 52 1.22x
Pembrokeshire 51 0.45x
Selkirkshire 51 1.58x
Channel Islands 44 0.42x
Kirkcudbrightshire 44 0.85x
Berwickshire 43 1.00x
Inverness-shire 32 0.30x
Shetland 32 0.88x
Kincardineshire 31 0.71x
Westmorland 31 0.40x
Kinross-shire 27 3.00x
Wigtownshire 26 0.55x
Rutland 25 0.95x
Montgomeryshire 21 0.26x
Ross-shire 20 0.20x
Denbighshire 19 0.14x
Brecknockshire 13 0.18x
Buteshire 13 0.60x
Nairnshire 9 0.83x
Merionethshire 8 0.12x
Sutherland 8 0.29x
Caernarfonshire 6 0.04x
Caithness 6 0.12x
Anglesey 4 0.06x
Flintshire 4 0.04x
Isle of Man 4 0.06x
Cardiganshire 3 0.03x
Radnorshire 2 0.07x
Carmarthenshire 1 0.01x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Barony in Lanarkshire leads with 863 Russells recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.96x.

Place Total Index
Barony 863 2.96x
Govan 815 2.86x
Glasgow 438 2.14x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 413 2.15x
Lambeth 406 1.31x
Birmingham 368 1.23x
Islington London 324 0.94x
Aston 323 1.30x
Cambusnethan 309 12.06x
Camberwell 294 1.29x
St Pancras London 283 0.99x
Old Monkland 264 5.77x
Portsea 239 1.67x
New Monkland 232 6.81x
Kensington London 222 1.12x
Hamilton 219 6.81x
Bothwell 217 6.94x
Deptford St Paul 207 2.21x
Dunfermline 200 6.16x
Shoreditch London 194 1.25x
Liverpool 191 0.74x
Falkirk 190 6.17x
Leeds 183 0.92x
Newington 183 1.39x
St Marylebone London 180 0.95x
Walsall Foreign 176 2.83x
Bermondsey 175 1.65x
Hackney London 158 0.79x
Bethnal Green London 151 0.97x
Brighton 147 1.21x
Bathgate 145 12.44x
Battersea 145 1.11x
Paddington London 145 1.11x
Manchester 142 0.75x
Shotts 139 10.07x
St George Hanover 134 2.88x
Maidstone 133 3.67x
Croydon 131 1.36x
West Ham 126 0.81x
Hammersmith London 122 1.39x
Southampton St Mary 118 2.57x
Mile End Old Town 116 2.06x
Whitburn 115 14.82x
West Bromwich 112 1.63x
Southwark St George Martyr 111 1.55x
West Derby 110 0.89x
Carluke 107 10.22x
Tonbridge 107 2.44x
Leicester St Margaret 105 1.09x
Dundee 104 0.84x
South Leith 102 1.90x
Carnwath 99 13.88x
Dalziel 99 7.98x
Lewisham 97 1.50x
Bradford 96 1.12x
Abbey 94 2.23x
Toxteth Park 91 0.64x
Plumstead 87 2.15x
Chelsea London 86 0.80x
Fulham London 86 1.66x
Paisley High Church 86 3.91x
St Luke London 86 1.50x
Greenwich 85 1.50x
Kirkdale 85 1.19x
Bishopwearmouth 81 0.89x
Elgin 81 7.51x
Everton 81 0.60x
Little Bolton 81 1.49x
Paisley Middle Church 78 4.85x
Wycombe 78 4.85x
Nottingham St Mary 77 0.62x
Bexley 76 7.07x
East Greenock 75 2.87x
Oldham 74 0.54x
Rotherhithe 74 1.68x
Woolwich 74 1.65x
Chorlton On Medlock 73 1.09x
Ashford 71 5.99x
Kings Norton 71 1.70x
Kingston On Thames 71 1.70x
Great Bolton 70 1.25x
Aberdeen Old Machar 69 1.00x
Clerkenwell London 69 0.82x
Maryhill 69 3.06x
Bromley London 66 0.84x
Cranbrook 63 12.22x
West Greenock 62 1.25x
Westminster St John 62 1.43x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Russell surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 1,637
Elizabeth 986
Sarah 834
Jane 506
Ann 499
Eliza 417
Emma 407
Alice 402
Ellen 402
Annie 394
Emily 382
Margaret 220
Hannah 215
Martha 201
Louisa 192
Harriet 180
Fanny 178
Edith 174
Charlotte 170
Caroline 163
Ada 158
Kate 155
Florence 152
Catherine 151
Maria 144
Harriett 120
Clara 114
Lucy 110
Frances 108
Rose 95
Agnes 88
Anne 81
Isabella 79
Julia 78
Amelia 77
Minnie 76
Susan 76
Esther 75
Sophia 73
Matilda 72
Amy 69
Rebecca 60
Jessie 58
Susannah 52
Gertrude 48
Eleanor 47
Grace 45
Laura 42
Ethel 40
Maud 38

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Russell surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 1,596
John 1,435
George 987
James 922
Thomas 841
Henry 625
Charles 599
Joseph 369
Alfred 350
Edward 330
Robert 325
Arthur 277
Frederick 260
Albert 225
Richard 199
Harry 174
Walter 170
Frank 160
Samuel 159
Ernest 118
Herbert 116
David 104
Francis 98
Edwin 96
Benjamin 93
Wm. 80
Alexander 52
Geo. 48
Thos. 45
Fred 40
Isaac 40
Sidney 39
Stephen 39
Peter 38
Percy 36
Tom 36
Sydney 32
Andrew 31
Horace 31
Michael 31
Chas. 30
Harold 29
Fredrick 28
Daniel 27
Mark 27
Patrick 27
Jesse 26
Edmund 24
Jno. 24
Willm. 24

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Russell households.

FAQ

Russell surname: questions and answers

How common was the Russell surname in 1881?

In 1881, 36,592 people were recorded with the Russell surname. That placed it at #84 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Russell surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 55,174 in 2016. That gives Russell a modern rank of #84.

What does the Russell surname mean?

An English surname derived from a Norman French nickname meaning "little red one," referring to someone with red hair.

What does the Russell map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Russell bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.