Russell

The name began in Anglo-Norman records as a diminutive of the Old French rous, meaning red. It established itself as an English surname prominent among the dukes of Bedford before shifting into a given name during the eighteenth century. American families adopted the transfer in the nineteenth century, keeping it in regular use when nationwide birth recording began in 1880.

The name carries the utilitarian weight of 1960, the year it peaked with about eight thousand births. With forty percent of living bearers belonging to the baby boom generation, the sound belongs comfortably alongside carburetors, flannel, and thermos lids. Generation X claims another twenty-seven percent, keeping the average age anchored at 56. Even at its peak, the name was measured enough to avoid needing a last initial during morning attendance.