Russell Family History

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Russell Name Meaning

English, Scottish, and Irish: from Rousel, a common Anglo-Norman French nickname for someone with red hair, a diminutive of Rouse with the hypocoristic suffix -el. Americanized spelling of German Rüssel, from a pet form of any of the various personal names formed with the Old High German element hrod ‘renown’. EG

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Rossell, Fussell, Rundell, Trussell, Russett, Rassel, Tassell

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Russell Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Russell name?

These results combine data from everyone in the AncestryDNA® database with the last name Russell. The Ancestry® ethnicity regions shown are top five most common on average for these people.

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  • England & Wales

    51%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    21%

  • Germanic Europe

    7%

  • Norway

    3%

  • Eastern Europe & Russia

    2%

Your own DNA-based ethnicity estimate will differ from what you see here. To get your personalized ethnicity estimate, order an AncestryDNA® kit.order an AncestryDNA® kit.

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Russell Family Origin

Where is the Russell family from?

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1840
    1920
    You can see how Russell families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Russell family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Russell families were found in the USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 409 Russell families living in New York. This was about 15% of all the recorded Russell's in the USA. New York had the highest population of Russell families in 1840.
    Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Russell surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

    View Census Data for Russell

    Russell Family Occupations

    What did your Russell ancestors do for a living?

    In 1880, a less common occupation for the Russell family was Farming. The most common Russell occupation in the USA was Farmer. 36% of Russell's were Farmers. Farmer, Laborer and Keeping House were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Russell.

    View Census data for Russell | Data not to scale

    • Farmer

      36%

    • Laborer

      8%

    • Keeping House

      6%

    • Farming

      3%

    Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Russell ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.

    Russell Historical Records

    What Russell family records will you find?

    Census Record

    There are 1 million census records available for the last name Russell. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Russell census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

    Search 1940's US census records for Russell

    Passenger List

    There are 207,000 immigration records available for the last name Russell. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

    View all Russell immigration records

    Draft Card

    There are 284,000 military records available for the last name Russell. For the veterans among your Russell ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

    View all Russell military records

    You've only scratched the surface of Russell family history.

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    Russell Life Expectancy

    What is the average Russell lifespan?

    Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Russell life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 1999. The average life expectancy for Russell in 1940 was 57, and 73 in 2004.

    View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Russell

    An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Russell ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

    Famous Russell Family Ancestors

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