Russell (given name)

Russell is a given name that originated from the surname Russell, which in turn derives from the French name russel (Old Norse rossel) "red-haired, from rus (Old Norse ros) "red hair color" and the suffix -el. The name came into greater use in England as a first name in honor of William Russell, Lord Russell following his execution for treason in 1683. Supporters who believed his trial was unjust named their sons in his honor. Some American patriots considered Lord Russell a victim of a tyrannical British monarchy and a  "martyr for liberty" and also named sons after him. Russell was the 197th most popular name for newborn boys in the United States in 1880 and reached the height of its popularity in 1914 when it was the 49th most popular name for American boys. It has remained in regular use in the Anglosphere throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Russell might be shortened to Russ or Rusty, which is a modern English hypocorism for a boy with red hair as well as a nickname for Russell.

Notable people with the name include:

People

 * Russell Ackoff (1919–2009), American organizational theorist
 * Russell Allen (born 1971), American singer
 * Russell Alger (1836–1907), American politician
 * Russell Baker (1925–2019), American writer
 * Russell Banks (1940–2023), American writer
 * Russell Batiste Jr. (1965–2023), American drummer
 * Russell Brand (born 1975), British television presenter and comedian
 * Russell Branyan (born 1975), American baseball player
 * Russell G. Cleary (1933–1997), American businessman
 * Russell Coutts (born 1962), New Zealand sailor
 * Russell Crossley (1927–2018), English footballer
 * Russell Crowe (born 1964), New Zealand-born Australian actor
 * Russell T Davies (born 1963), British screenwriter and producer
 * Russell Dickerson (born 1987), American country music singer
 * Russell G. Dunmore (1884–1935), New York politician
 * Russell Drysdale (1912–1981), Australian painter
 * Russell Feingold (born 1953), United States Senator from Wisconsin
 * Russell Gage (born 1996), American football player
 * Russell Gilbert (born 1959), Australian comedian
 * Russell Grant (born 1951), British astrologer
 * Russell Hansbrough (born 1993), American football player
 * Russell Hantz (born 1972), American oil company owner and three-time Survivor contestant
 * Russell Harty (1934–1988), British television presenter
 * Russell Henderson (1924–2015), Trinidad-born jazz musician
 * Russell F. Hicks (1820–1869), New York lawyer and politician
 * Russell Hinder, (born 1979), Australian basketball player
 * Russell Hoban (1925–2011), American writer
 * Russell Hogg (1968–2012), Scottish badminton player
 * Russell Howard (born 1980), British comedian
 * Russell P. Hughes (born 1946), American/British chemist
 * Russell Alan Hulse (born 1950), American physicist
 * Russell Johnson (1924–2014), American actor
 * Russell Kane (born 1975), English writer, comedian, and actor
 * Russell Kirk (1918–1994), American political theorist
 * Russell Kun (born 1966), Nauruan politician
 * Russell Lissack (born 1981), British guitarist
 * Russell M. Little (1809–1891), New York state senator
 * Russell Long (1918–2003), American politician
 * Russell Lynes (1910–1991), American art historian and photographer
 * Russell Martin (born 1983), Canadian baseball player
 * Russell Mael (born 1948), American rock singer
 * Russell Malone (born 1963), American jazz guitarist
 * Russell Means (1939–2012), Oglala Lakota activist
 * Russell Mehta, Indian businessman
 * Russell Miller (born c. 1938), British journalist and author of fifteen books, including biographies
 * Russell A. Miller (born 1969), American law professor (Washington and Lee University)
 * Russell D. Moore (born 1971), American theologian
 * Russell Mulcahy (born 1953), Australian director
 * Russell M. Nelson (born 1924), American surgeon and religious leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
 * Russell Penn (born 1985), English footballer
 * Russell Peters (born 1970), Canadian comedian and actor
 * Russell Peterson (1916–2011), American politician
 * Russell Sage (1816–1906), American financier and politician
 * Russell Simmons (born 1957), American entrepreneur
 * Russell Tovey (born 1981), British actor
 * Russell Westbrook (born 1988), American basketball player
 * Russell Wilson (born 1988), American football player
 * Russell Wong (born 1963), American actor
 * Russell Williams (disambiguation), several people

Fictional characters

 * Russell Bell, in the television series The Wire
 * Russell (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy), in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
 * Russell Edgington, in True Blood
 * Russell Ferguson, a hedgehog from the animated children's series Littlest Pet Shop.
 * Russell, a hedgehog from the animated film Once Upon a Forest
 * Russell Hammond, a main character in the film Almost Famous
 * Russell, in the television series Happy Tree Friends
 * Russell Wright, the title character from the Canadian animated series King
 * Russell, one of the main characters from the 2009 Pixar movie Up
 * Russell the Muscly Kangaroo, from the Hooley Dooleys
 * Russell Lightbourne, the main antagonist of The 100's sixth season
 * Russell Adler, a character in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War